I know You
by Lexie M
Summary: Summary: Rory, a junior at Yale, runs into a familiar boy. Can he convince her he’s not like he was in the past? AR TRORY Full Summary inside.
1. Parts I to VI

**Author: Lexie M**

**Title: I Know You…**

**Rated: R for Language and Adult Content (i.e. mention of sex and violence)**

**Warning: Alternate Reality**

**Summary: Past and Present collide at Yale University for Rory. Set to begin her Junior Year at Yale, a transfer student is about to mess up her carefully planned out life. Secrets from the past become revealed and she is forced to face a reality she has been trying to hide for six years. Plus what does this transfer student have to do with Rory's daughter.. AR:ROGAN/TRORY Ultimately will end TRORY**

**Story History: Rory's first time was with Tristan and she never had her tryst with Dean. Lorelei and Rory have been immersed in Society since Rory was born even though they resided in Stars Hollow. Rory and Tristan have been friends since childhood. Even dated up until he got shipped to Military School and then she dated Dean. Dean is happily married to Lindsay in this story and never cheated on her with anyone.**

**Disclaimer: not copyright owner. Not trying to make a profit. Don't like it? Don't read it!.**

* * *

**Part I**

Lorelei Leigh Gilmore III - Hayden, "Rory", walked into her student housing apartment with a sigh. She set her keys on the foyer table and hung up her coat on the coat rack. Walking into the living room she heard her room mate and another vaguely familiar voice talking.

"I'm extremely surprised that student housing is co-ed this year," the vaguely familiar voice stated to Cameron King, Rory's raven haired female room mate.

"I'm surprised too…" Cameron said in a flirtatious tone of voice.

Rory heard the vaguely familiar voice chuckle. _Where do I know that voice from? That chuckle too?_ "Cam, I'm back…" Rory's voice trailed off as soon as she saw familiar blonde male hair.

"Rory, I'm glad you're here. This is…"

"TJ DuGray," Rory finished for her room mate.

"Yeah, it is…but he introduced himself as…"

"Tristan," Rory completed again.

"You two know each other?" Cameron asked a bit confused.

"Yes, indeed we do," the blonde answered with his trademark smirk that made Rory want to wring his neck. It also made her feel weak in the knees. "Hi Mary, It's been awhile."

"Not long enough Bible Boy," Rory snapped. "What are you doing here, Tristan?" She was annoyed. She really hoped he wasn't their new room mate. He was the last person she wanted to see again despite having strong feelings for him still. She looked at her ex-boyfriend with an air of indifference. _I'll kill Paris for pushing for a bigger apartment on campus. Not just any apartment a co-ed apartment._

"Oh, come now Mary, is that anyway to greet me after what…six years," Tristan asked.

_Six years, four months, fifteen days, twenty-seven hours, thirty minutes, and six seconds but who's counting,_ Rory calculated then immediately berated herself, "How's bag boy?" She heard Tristan ask.

"He's name is Dean and I wouldn't know. He's been married for about three years. How do you even know about him?" She snapped again. She hadn't met Dean Forrester until after Tristan transferred schools in their sophomore year of high school at Chilton Prep Academy. Dean Forrester was her teen rebellion. Dean didn't come from class. He didn't have wealth and he lived in the small town of Stars Hollow where her mother owned and operated a couple inns. The relationship didn't last long since Rory was still hung up on Tristan. "I repeat, what the hell are you doing here?"

Tristan smirked more at Rory's apparent annoyance, "Well, Mare, I transferred here doing the law thing in order to take over DuGray Enterprises. Didn't Paris tell you? Got tired of Harvard, you weren't there, took time to track down which University you were attending and voila here I am. Got to love good old Paris, she's a wealth of knowledge. She's told me a lot over the years."

"What's with him calling you "Mary"? What's with you calling him Bible Boy?" Cameron asked confused.

Rory glared at Tristan. She hadn't realized she was answering to "Mary." "Tristan and I hale from Chilton Prep Academy. In our private school if you're a virgin or look like an innocent virgin, you're called Mary as in the Virgin Mary." Rory explained to her room mate. "I call him Bible Boy due to the fact that he always had a Biblical Insult to throw my way."

"Girls I'm back!" Paris Geller's voice stated as the blonde girl walked through the apartment's front door. She dropped her bags and gasped at her best friend's ex-boyfriend's presence.

"About time you showed up. It looks like Chilton Alumni have been assigned this apartment," Rory barked at her best friend. "I told you to sign us up for non-co-ed but would you listen to me? No! Now I'm stuck living with the Spawn of Satan!"

"Hey still in the room!" Tristan snapped annoyed that Rory was acting like this. "Since when have I been deduced as Spawn of Satan!" This wasn't his idea of a perfect reunion with the one person he ever truly loved.

"Do you really want me to answer that question in public?" Rory asked her voice edged with a dangerous tone. Their past was still fresh in her memories, the good, bad and the ugly. She wasn't about to air her dirty laundry in front of Cameron.

Tristan sighed. It was obvious to him that this was the first time Cameron had ever heard of him and he knew if she wanted to Rory could lick into him. "No, I guess I don't."

"You guess? You Guess!" Rory groaned and stormed off into her room, slamming the door behind her. She ran to and leapt on to her bed face muffled into her pillow growling!

"Nice Going DuGray," Paris roared.

"What?" Tristan asked confused over the situation. "Why am I the bad guy? I wasn't the one talking about someone in the third person, who I may remind you, was present throughout the whole conversation." He was angry with Paris' accusation.

Paris sighed in aggravation, "Cameron could I please ask you to give us some privacy?" She asked rolling her eyes at Tristan's misdirected anger.

Cameron nodded and rolled her eyes, "I'll be at the student union. It was nice meeting you Tristan."

Tristan casually nodded, "Same here." Then he looked up at Paris with a demanding look.

Paris only waited a second after Cameron closed the common area's door to the dormitory hallway. "You promised to stay away from Rory." She roared not caring if Rory could hear every single word that would be said.

Tristan shook his head at the classic Paris resurfacing before him. "You knew it would only be a matter of time before I went stir crazy."

"Damn it DuGray, don't turn this around on me. You promised you would not come and face Rory once I revealed where she matriculated. You conned me and I will have my revenge. She just got over you and now you have to shit stir? That's not ok!"

"Get over it, Gellar! You and I both know I love her regardless of what happened in the past."

"It's not a what!" Paris yelled. "Its who!"

Tristan shook his head. He should have known that Paris and Rory were dorm mates. The two were practically inseparable throughout the years at Chilton Prep Academy before he got shipped off to Military school. After that he didn't really know how strong the two girls' friendship was. He also knew that Paris would never let his past stay buried.

"What was I suppose to do back then Geller?" Tristan sighed. "I was sixteen fking years old. It wasn't like I had a say in my father's decision."

"Oh yeah that's right. Blame Daddy little boy. Because back then you blamed him for everything."

"This isn't any of your god damn concern Geller! This has to do with me and Rory!"

Paris shook her head in protest, "You see that's where you are wrong DuGray. Rory is my best friend and I watched you trample over her heart millions of times, all so you could prove to everyone you were still worthy of your title and your reputation. Breaking into the safe was stupid but getting…"

Tristan didn't have to hear the rest of that statement he knew all too well that breaking into the Bowman Safe was just the icing on the cake. He had been in hot water much earlier with his parents regarding Rory. He got Rory pregnant and his father reached his breaking point. Feeling that he wasn't in control of his son anymore Russell DuGray felt that the best course of action was to send Tristan to Military School and to make it clear that Tristan was not to ever have anything to do with the Gilmore-Hayden girl ever again, for her own good, not his. Russell and Juliette DuGray cared a lot about Rory and were thrilled to have their son dating her.

* * *

**Part II**

Meanwhile….

"Mommy, I want to come home," Rory sniffled into the phone.

"Hey, You know us Gilmore Girls don't cry, tell Mommy what's wrong," Lorelei Gilmore asked her daughter.

"I just met my room mate and you'll never guess who it is…"

Lorelei knew that Rory and Paris had signed up for co-ed housing their final year at Yale due to the size of the Seniors Housing Apartments. Lorelei could only guess that it was a boy. "Well, it can't be limo boy because then you'd be ecstatic and it can't be Dean because he's married and not smart enough to go to an Ivy league school and you'd never room with either Marty or Finn. I give up baby. Who is it?"

"Tristan," Rory whispered wishing that she hadn't said that name.

Of all the people Lorelei knew Rory was acquainted with the last person's name she hoped wouldn't come out of her daughter's mouth was Tristan. Lorelei knew oh too well Tristan still held Rory's heart in his hands despite what tore them apart. She also knew if he found out that Rory was dating his cousin Logan Huntzburger he'd go on a rampage and try to steal Rory away from his cousin.

"I'm so sorry baby. I know it's a shock to see him and I know you probably feel some anger towards him but I'm sure everything will be fine. I mean you have Logan and Lani plus your school activities as well. You'll hardly see him."

Rory sighed, "He's my Dorm mate Mom. We'll see each other ALL the time. He'll end up coming into my room and seeing all the pictures of me and Lani together. I can't let him find out that I kept the child we created. He probably won't even care that he is a father." She answered glumly.

"You can always say that Lani is your sister. After all it can't be so hard to fabricate."

Rory rolled over onto her back, raking one hand through her hair and staring at her ceiling, "She has his hair, eyes and my bone structure mom. Plus you, Luke, and Dad all have dark hair."

"Then let him find out and then demand support for the six years he's been away. I mean his own parents stayed in touch with you and Lani. He didn't have the decency to even pick up a phone or pen."

"Lani" was Lorelei Lei-Lani Gilmore IV - Hayden II DuGray. In school she went by Lani Gilmore taking on the Gilmore girl tradition. Lani was six years old, in first grade, with her father's dazzling blue-green eyes and shiny dark blonde hair. She had her mother's and Nana's addiction to coffee and junk food. She had her mother's facial bone structure, poise, and fast metabolism.

Rory rolled her eyes at her mother's words. "How's Lani doing Mom?"

"She can't wait for Friday night dinner with her Great-Grandparents, and both sets of grandparents. She's mostly excited about seeing you and Limo Boy."

"Please don't tell me you call him that around her," Rory asked hopefully. "It's bad enough that you call him that. I don't need my six year old daughter saying it too."

"It builds character," Lorelei whined.

"Need I remind you that you and I are Limo Girls? We're no different then he is. Thus we have no right calling him a demeaning name because of the kind of vehicle he rides."

* * *

**Part III**

Tristan nervously knocked on Rory's door two hours after Paris grilled him in the apartment's lounge area. "Rory may I come in please?"

Rory swallowed the hard rock that seemed to form in her throat. "Yes, Tristan you may come in, it's open." She called through the door separating the once upon a time lovers.

"Hey," Tristan greeted her hesitantly, shuffling his feet and standing near the door after walking through and closing it.

Rory gave a small smile, "Hey, BB."

Tristan walked to the end of Rory's bed and sat on the edge turning to face her. A habit he developed during their relationship before he got sent away for getting out of control. "Is it alright if we have a talk right now?" He questioned. He had no idea how angry or uncomfortable Rory was and he wanted to be sure that now was a right time for this.

Rory looked in his eyes silently for a moment and nodded her head, "Yeah, I guess we can talk right now."

"I know you weren't expecting to see me ever again, everyone we know from Hartford was trying to make sure that happens," Tristan began. "and I know I made some terrible mistakes back in high school."

Rory took a deep breath, _this the part where he tells me he wants me back or he knows about Lani, _"Tristan please don't say what I think…"

"Please hear me out." Tristan begged and waited a beat to see if Rory would interrupt. He got a nod of encouragement. "I cheated on you, I got you pregnant and I stole, getting myself shipped off to military school. I am truly sorry for hurting you back then. I was immature and I didn't know a good thing when it hit me until it was too late."

"You're right Tristan. It is too late," Rory stated. "It's a shame too because you had the perfect girlfriend and you let her slip through your fingers all because you had to prove to a bunch of guys that you were true to your reputation. I loved you back then Tristan. I was so in love with you that I would have walked through fire or even quit drinking coffee but what did you do? You slapped your ex-girlfriend in my face and every other horny Barbie doll that walked through the halls. If you want my forgiveness it won't be as easy as just saying you're sorry because not only does this have to do with me and you it also concerns a six year old girl."

Tristan sighed. He knew about his six year old daughter Lorelei Lei-Lani Gilmore IV-Hayden II DuGray. His parents kept on raving about their only grandchild and how beautiful she was. The only thing was they had made sure he never met her; they only showed him pictures of her because they didn't want their grandchild to be influenced by her delinquent father. His history kept biting him in the rear end despite how he had changed himself around. "I know it isn't just about you and me Rory. Damn it, I know that Lani is in the equation too. I want to be there for her. I want to be able to see her grow but I can't do that if our parents and grandparents won't let me see her for stupid mistakes I made in the past."

"Tristan, I know you changed somewhat since you've been to military school. I keep hearing the news from Janlan and your parents. It's not as simple as you think. It's a matter of trust. I can't trust you to be able to not break her heart like you broke mine. Since it's obvious we won't be able to avoid each other because we live in the same apartment, you're going to have to earn my trust."

"I will do that. I will gain your trust somehow." Tristan stated. Then mentally thought, _Then I will have my family together and for once be happy._

"Good, now that, that's out of the way, please excuse me because I have to get ready for a date."

_A date? A date! Since when did she have a boyfriend?_ "Well have fun Mary I guess I'll see you later."

Rory smiled, "Yeah, you will."

Tristan walked out of Rory's bedroom and into his room.

* * *

**Part IV**

"I know that look DuGray." Paris ranted as she saw a far off look in Tristan's eyes as he walked out of Rory's bedroom. "Don't do anything stupid."

"Who's her date tonight Geller?"

"I'm not telling you. It's none of your god damned concern. If you ruin her happiness with the guy she's with now…I'll end up hurting you and that's a promise."

"If you don't tell me who she's with I'll end up hurting you?" Tristan answered irrationally. "No one has the right to come between me and Rory or our child," he stated venom was laced through his voice.

Paris rolled her eyes, "You don't scare me DuGray. I know you wouldn't hurt a female. It isn't in your personality make-up. I'm not telling you because I don't betray friendship confidentiality."

Tristan started glaring lethally at Paris, "When I find out who it is, they'll pay and then you'll pay for not telling me. Nobody messes with a DuGray and gets away with it."

Paris sighed. She knew one thing about Tristan, when he sets his sights on achieving something there is no stopping him. She also knew that the DuGray family was a solid unit and a force to be reckoned with nobody ever left a DuGray confrontation unscathed either financially, physically, or psychologically. "You can't let Rory find out that you know who her current boyfriend is…that is if I tell you. You don't intimidate me Tristan…you're father on the other hand is another story."

Tristan smirked. Between Russell DuGray and Christopher Hayden, Paris felt less threatened by Christopher although Christopher was as territorially aggressive as Russell in the Elite Society of Hartford. They both were high powered attorneys, both ran other businesses besides law firms and both ruled Hartford with an iron laced fist. Together the two men were an undefeatable tag team.

"It's…" Before Paris could give him the name of Rory's boyfriend, their lounge room doorbell rang.

Tristan absentmindedly walked to the door and opened it. Fury filled his eyes as he saw his cousin standing outside in the hallway of his apartment. He smirked when he saw his cousin's shocked face.

"Hey Tristan," Logan Huntzberger, Tristan's cousin from his mother's side, greeted his enraged cousin. "What a surprise. What are you doing here?"

"I live here. I should be asking you that question."

"I came to pick up my girlfriend. We're going out on a date."

"You have a girlfriend?" Tristan faked a laugh. "You don't have girlfriend's Logan you have flings, one night stands." The edge to his voice was not mistakable, there was hurt, anger, and betrayal but it was clear that Logan probably didn't know Tristan's history with Rory. It was clear in his mind that it was Logan who Rory was referring to when she said she had a date tonight.

"Paris, I heard the door bell did…" Rory asked as she rounded the corner from her bedroom. She stopped in mid-sentence to see her ex-boyfriend and current boyfriend both cousins to the other having a stare down. Rory looked to Paris in a panic asking silently if everything was safe and sound. She got her answer with the negative shaking head belonging to Paris.

Tristan turned around to look at Rory shooting daggers at her. He could see out of his peripheral vision that Logan was looking at Rory as well. "When were you ever going to tell me that you were dating my cousin?" Tristan asked agony laced in his usually quick witted voice.

Rory shook her head, "Tristan, now isn't the time for this."

"Now's a perfect time as any Mary," Tristan stated as he folded his arms.

_Mary? Why does that sound familiar?_ Logan asked himself.

"I don't have the time nor the patience for you Bible Boy! Logan and I made plans we can't break."

_Bible Boy?...Shit! Rory is Tristan's ex-girlfriend!_ Logan realized during the banter. Now he understood why his cousin was trying to kill him with angry looks. _This is Lani's father. The one Rory calls Bible Boy. Something tells me this is a war that I will be a casuality of and I'll be expected to choose sides. Damn and just as I was finally coming to gripes with the fact that promiscuity isn't a lifestyle._

"Well, it isn't like I don't know where to find you," Tristan smirked, "after all we are room mates. I'll be here when you get back. Then we'll have this conversation. It's now or later."

"Ace, maybe you should stay and talk out whatever issues you have with Tristan." Logan suggested. "We can arrange this for another time."

Rory shook her head. _Great less then twenty-four hours back into my life and Tristan has to complicate it. Things were going just fine until he came along. I should have figured he wouldn't make this reunion easy for me._ "No, we made these plans a month ago actually a year ago. We couldn't get reservations to this place until now and we are not going to cancel them because Tristan DuGray has finally become aware that his conscience won't stop nagging him to right his wrongs. He can get as angry as he wants and as possessive as he wants but for once he won't be getting exactly what he wants." Rory stated in a dangerously low and calm voice glaring at Tristan.

"I knew you guys were close, I just didn't think about how close you were. I mean you both have almost the same patented smirk and the annoying knack for giving girls unwanted nicknames. Trademark hairstyle to boot, next thing you're going to tell me is that he's in the brigade," She said as she returned her attention to her boyfriend.

Tristan made an interruptive cough, "Actually I am in the Brigade."

Rory rolled her head and eyes at this forthcoming news, "This is just great! Now I really can't get away from you!"

Tristan looked into Rory's eyes and saw the anger she was silencing in them. "Rory what did you expect The DuGrays, Gilmores, and Haydens are founders of the Brigade. It's secretly spread to every other Ivy League School. Did you honestly think I could avoid a three hundred year old tradition?"

Rory groaned at Tristan's statement. She should have known that the blonde who always invaded her dreams would pull their families' history into why he was at this particular Ivy League School or in her Secret Society.

"You could have stayed at Harvard and just …"

"Just what? Leave you're perfect life alone? Rory be logical here. Why would I stay away from you? Don't say because our families said I had to. You've known me forever when have I ever listened to an authority figure?"

Logan walked further into his girlfriend's apartment-dorm it was obvious that the two wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon, his cousin tended to be very stubborn and persistent so this argument was going to be drawn out. He decided to sit on the couch and wait until things blew over or one of them acknowledged that they still had an audience.

"Obviously I don't know you!" Rory's voice rose. "The Tristan I knew would have never broken into a safe or been affiliated with Duncan and Bowman. He would have never cheated on me with his ex-girlfriend which whom, by the way, according to him broke his heart by doing the same thing."

Tristan shook his head at the lunacy Rory was spouting. "You, think I liked that I hurt you? Trust me Mare, that's the last thing in the world I would have wanted to triumph from. I spent three years of my life in military school because of my actions. I hurt my family, Mare. I hurt you and what do I have to show for it? A daughter I don't know, and a miserable existence because the woman I love is in a relationship with another man, not just any man, my cousin!"

Cameron innocently chose that moment to walk back into the apartment thinking the worst was over, she was surprised to find herself wrong. "You two are still arguing it's been like four hours since I left to mingle at the Student Union." She shook her head. She could tell by the way they were staring each other down that it wasn't hate that was fueling this argument but something unhinged and primal...everlasting. It was so potent that she had to shake her head and look in the direction of Logan sitting on the couch watching his cousin and his girlfriend release insult after insult at each other. Her heart went out to the Media Conglomerate Heir, the scene unraveling before him, wasn't something anyone should have to go through.

* * *

**Part V**

_Flashback_

_Rory walked through the DuGray Mansion's front door and upstairs to his bedroom where the maid told her he was. Rory never usually knocked on the door because that was the way it had been their whole lives. She had heard noises coming from his room thinking it was the porn channel blaring off his television._

_Stepping into his room Rory had wished she was right about the noises being from the television. She gasped as she saw her boyfriend in the throws of passion with Summer Russell, his ex-girlfriend._

_Tears started slipping down her cheeks as Summer climaxed calling Tristan's name and Tristan calling Summer's name, "Damn you Tristan," Rory yelled turning around and running out of his room._

_Rory stormed down the stairs, past Janlan and Russell's studies, and out the front door where her car was waiting outside on the carport._

_Inside:_

_Janlan and Russell walked out of their studies, looked at each other, then at the front door slamming with a crying girl behind it, and then up the stairs to see the heir to their empire disheveled throwing on a bathrobe chasing after the girl._

_By the time Tristan had reached outside, the car and Rory were gone. He turned around walking back through the door, into the foyer where the family patriarchs were standing cross armed and glaring at him._

"_Please don't tell me that was Rory running out of here crying?" Russell DuGray, a 6'3" graying golden haired athletically slender man, asked his son._

"_I concur with your father please tell us that wasn't Rory running out the door? What the hell did you do to upset her so terribly?" Janlan DuGray, a distinguished haired 6'3" athletically slender older gentlemen, asked his grandson._

"_Tristan, did you find out who that was," said a dark brunette haired teenage girl from the staircases upper landing, she was half-dressed just pulling on her robe and her hair was just as disheveled as Tristan's._

"_We just found our answer Dad," Russell told Janlan, then turned around and glared at his son. After a moment he looked up at the girl, and remembered her name, "Summer you should get dressed and leave now," he suggested rudely before Tristan could answer…"Tristan and his family have some business to take care of." _

"_Dad," Tristan warned in an edge filled voiced. It was bad enough that he was literally caught with his pants around the ankles by Rory he didn't need his father or grandfather for that matter to make the situation worse._

"_Tristan, I would suggest you not make this harder then it already is, now Miss Russell was asked to redress herself and leave. If she knows what is best for her right now she would do as was suggested. Susanna will show her the door. You will walk into Gramps' office and wait until Grammy, your Mother, and I all join you and Gramps."_

_Tristan nodded, hung his head defeated, and followed his grandfather into his grandfather's study and immediate sat down in front of his grandfather's desk._

_Russell found his wife and mother in the sunroom sitting, gossiping and drinking tea. "Dad and I need you to join us in Dad's study. It has to do with Tristan and Rory."_

_End Flashback_

Rory aggravated raked her fingers through her perfectly styled hair for the second time that day. She wanted nothing more than to stop the spiraling out of control argument she was having with Tristan.

She knew he didn't change all that much, he was still as stubborn and strong willed as he had been in his younger years. "It's not like I meant to meet him or develop feelings TJ," she glared at the taller person in front of her. "But like you he has this nasty habit of not giving up. Call me crazy but I actually needed a change from my norm. He was and still is slightly more mature then you and way more rational," she stated calmly. She knew it was a low blow, she didn't know reformed Tristan from Adam not that she trusted him anyway.

"Whoa! Wait just a minute here," Tristan stated throwing his hands up in the air. "Where do you get off accusing me of being immature or calling Logan mature for that matter?"

"Hey don't bring me into this just because your ego has been bruised bro? I had no idea that she was your _Mary_ or you for that matter were her ex. One of the many disadvantages of being based in NYC," Logan cut in with a pointed look at the younger blonde. "You made your mistakes and ended up losing her and her trust don't dig yourself a deeper hole."

_Flashback_

_Tears streaming down her eyes, Rory's vision was a blur as she drove down the rainy streets of Hartford. She had gone to tell Tristan what she thought would be great news but she ended up being the victim of surprise herself. "Don't worry baby, Mommy loves you and she's not going to let Daddy hurt you," she said while rubbing her stomach absentmindedly with her left hand while griping and steering the driver's wheel with her right. _

_She had the resources that would allow her to keep her baby and still go to school without hiring a Nanny, Au Pair or even a retired grandmother to babysit during her school hours. She talked to her mother about the repercussions that went to becoming pregnant while still in high school. She was surprised that her mother was as supportive as she was._

"_Gram and Great Grandma will take care of you too," she said continuing her conversation with her unborn child. "You won't be as sheltered or naïve as I was. I promise you that."_

_End Flashback_

Before another word was spoken between the feuding family members and young woman, Rory's cell phone's ring tone went off. She looked at caller idea and saw that it was her daughter. She pressed the talk button and pressed the phone to her ear. "Hi Sweetie," she said with a smile on though happiness was the furthest emotion she was feeling right now. "I need to remind Grams that you're only six years old and are too young to have a cell phone of your own."

The little girl on the phone laughed, "Mommy you really aren't up to snuff with what's in now!"

"I beg to differ young lady. Now what's so urgent that you had to call me?"

"Grams said you had a date with Limo Boy. You see him more then you see me."

"Limo Boy," Rory asked with a warning laced through her voice. She looked at Logan who had an amused look on his face. "I thought we agreed that you would be respectful to Logan?"

"C'mon Mommy Grams calls him that why can't I?"

"Because she's insane and you know the difference between sanity and insanity. You know what this means don't you?" She could picture her daughter rolling her eyes as she heard the groan that was coming. "No more Finn Dates for a month."

"You're so unfair. Uncle Finn is fun you can't take away my Finn Dates."

"I just did. Now if you'll excuse me Logan is waiting for me and you're up past your bedtime."

"Thank goodness I live with Grams. At least she and Gramps will let me have some fun." The little girl whined. "I often wonder if Grams is really your mom."

"Good night Lani!" Rory said forcefully and pressed the end button to finalize the conversation. "Now gentlemen can we please be civil and not cave people." She said looking between Logan and Tristan.

_Flashback_

_Tristan sat nervously in his grandfather's study, his grandfather had been eerily quiet while his father gathered his mother and grandmother to have a family meeting._

_The seconds' ticking off the grandfather clock on the wall opposite the study's door seemed like minutes and two minutes felt like two hours as the silence grew more uncomfortable._

_The sound of the door opening and footsteps nearing brought the silence's purpose more clearly as they kept approaching. Once all family members were in the study and seated. _

_Russell began, "Now that we're all here. It's time to let Tristan in on what's going on. The list of major screw-ups has reached its final occupant."_

"_What are you saying Father," Tristan asked nervously._

"_Tristan, your father and the rest of us can't take it anymore. We received a call from Richard. It seems Rory had something to tell you. She came here for that purpose alone." Janlan picked up where his son left off, "but you said volumes to her or at least that's what we think happened when she ran out the front door earlier."_

_Tristan didn't understand the purpose of this family meeting and why the two older generations of his family were looking at him as if he did the most treacherous act imaginable. It pained him enough to hear the tears in Rory's voice but this was so much more humiliating._

"_There's no easy way to say this Tristan," his mother spoke up. "Rory's pregnant."_

_All of a sudden Tristan felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. Rory had come to tell him that she was carrying his child only to have found him screwing his ex-girlfriend._

"_Tristan dear you've been spiraling out of control for months. First for the fighting and the pranks, then hanging around those lowlifes, breaking into Mr. Bowman's safe and this…sleeping with Summer and knocking Rory up?"_

"_Father!" _

"_No Tristan, you can't explain your way out of this. We've been lenient with you and now we're faced with something both your mother and grandmother have been rallying against hoping you would turn yourself around. We're sending you to North Carolina."_

"_Dad the only thing in North Carolina is…" Tristan in shock couldn't finish. Surely his family wouldn't send him to…_

"_Military School..."_

"_No…no way. There is no way in hell I'm going to Military school." He protested._

"_It's that or a Swiss year round boarding school," his grandmother interjected sadly._

"_Just like that without even letting me explain myself? This isn't fair."_

"_Let's not talk about what's unfair Tristan," Janlan started before his grandson began to look like a big fool. "Because son, we have a list of you being unfair as well. Let's start with the way you started rebelling and acting reckless. Let's talk about a sixteen year old girl who's been nothing but faithful to you and you cheat on her with your ex-girlfriend. Let's talk about the fact the teenage girl is pregnant with your heir. Let's also talk about the fact that the girl you cheated on your girlfriend with was the one who supposedly broke your heart before you started dating Rory."_

"_Gramps…"_

"_Don't Gramps me. You had a good thing going for you Tristan. You have a family who loves you. You have a girl who has given you her self; mind, body, spirit and soul. She's sacrificed a great deal for you, been subject to ridicule but still stayed true to you. Now what does she have? She has a product of your supposed love growing inside her and she'll be constantly reminded that she wasn't good enough for you. Well you want to know something you aren't good enough for her. If she decides to keep your child, you won't come in contact with her or your child. You aren't to try to contact her at all. You will let her live her life without you and your support because I'll be damned if I let you influence my great grandchild. Everything you touch somehow goes rotten. Military school will shape you up, give you more maturity and teach you self respect, loyalty, honor, commitment and responsibility. Pack your bags you leave tomorrow."_

_Tristan gaped at his grandfather. He never thought he could shame his grandfather let alone himself. He had no explanation for sleeping with Summer. He had been clean and sober when she came to him. She had been scantily dressed and very seductive, he tried to resist but this was Summer his first love._

'_Well, I can't blame any of them,' He thought miserably to himself. 'I just wish Rory wasn't hurt in the process. Too late for that,' He thought as he stood up and headed to his room to pack his bags._

_End Flashback_

Rory saw Tristan visibly roll his eyes at her condescending tone. "If you think for one second that I'm going to be civil to Logan, then you're out of your mind."

Logan was staring daggers at his cousin. "Why can't you be civil to me?" His anger for his cousin came lacing through his voice. "What exactly have I done to make you not want to be civil towards me?"

Paris and Cameron who had been silently watching the soap opera progress in front of them were wondering the same thing. The two both have been long forgotten from the moment the conversation started.

Paris felt sympathetic towards her best friend. She knew how Rory felt about Logan and she also knew how hard it was for Rory to get over the pain Tristan put her through. "Come on Cam," Paris whispered to her room mate. "If they realize we're still here Rory wouldn't only be embarrassed but she'll be so mortified she'll lock herself up in her room for a week."

Cameron only nodded to acknowledge Paris and the two quietly slipped off to their perspective room.

"You know exactly what you did." Tristan said.

Rory only saw Tristan this bent out of shape a handful of times, all those times he felt threatened that he would lose Rory to someone else. The act alone made her relive childhood memories and the night Lani was conceived.

_Flashback_

"_What were you doing with Tyler," asked a furious Tristan to a bewildered Rory._

_Rory rolled her eyes at Tristan's misguided jealousy. "We were only studying our lines for Cleopatra," she reasoned._

"_Don't lie to me Mare. What were you really doing with Tyler?"_

"_I'm telling you the truth Tristan! He's Julius Cesar and I'm Cleopatra we were just studying our lines."_

"_Studying your lines? Was kissing him the way you were about of that study session?"_

"_Tristan, you should know better then to make accusations like that. Besides yes the kiss was apart of the study session. It was in the scene we were studying. There was even any intimacy involved."_

_Tristan laughed at his girlfriend's innocent obliviousness. "Mary, If I had been kissing someone other than you and you came walking in on me would you feel as if there was nothing intimate going on?"_

"_No absolutely not," Rory answered with dignity._

"_Liar! Tell me how did you really feel when I would take some random girl, slam her against your locker and maul her face off right in front of you before we started dating."_

_Rory's face turned crimson and she stifled the urge to scream out in jealousy. _

"_See, That's exactly what I mean. I don't care if the kiss is real or pretend Mare. A kiss is still intimate no matter how innocent it really is."_

"_Screw you DuGrey."_

_Tristan just shook his head, "Well you see Mare I was planning on waiting until you were ready but since you are so insistent, I'm willing to take a roll in the hay with you."_

_Of all the bantering they would do the last comment out of Tristan's mouth was over doing it! Her red face turned dark crimson. She walked up to Tristan and slapped him across the face as hard as she could with her right hand._

"_Ow, Shit what was that for," he asked while angrily rubbing the injured area to hopefully somehow ease the pain away._

"_You know very well why I did that." She stated. "Can't you just for once stop being such a jackass and leave the crass remarks to yourself."_

"_You know as well as I do that I don't mean what I say half the time," Tristan stated softly. He instantly regretted reverting back to the taunting boy Rory grew to despise when they first started high school._

_Rory shook her head, turning around, heading out the door of his room. She didn't want this, she didn't need this. So she started doing the only thing she knew how. Run away. _

_Tristan wasn't about to let her walk out on him without giving her a proper apology. He grabbed her wrist and gently pulled her back to him. "I'm sorry," he said between spraying kisses along her neck and gently massaging her shoulders._

_With that said and his current actions, they both ended up in his bed and not getting out until the wee hours of the morning._

_End Flashback_

"First of all Tristan. I didn't do anything any other mature healthy young adult male would do. I met a very attractive woman and I wanted to get to know her. Had I known she was your Mary I would have tried to just be her friend, but I didn't know who she was. Don't go blaming stuff on people just because you got reckless not to mention careless with your life!"

"Had you known," Rory broke in with her eyebrows arched. "What's that suppose to mean?"

"Ace not right now," Logan sighed.

Rory had enough of this ridiculous night and this pointless conversation. "You know what? You're absolutely right," she stated in a calm cool low voice. "Not right now! See you boys later and get back to me as soon as you grow some maturity back." With that she walked away from the triangle they were forming and to the apartment door. "After all, you still need to catch up on old times." She turned to say before slamming the door which she had just a second ago opened, shut.

* * *

**Part VI**

"The door slammed," Paris asked Cameron. The two had some how ended up in Paris' room talking, after they had gone to their perspective rooms, unnoticed by the quarrelling three some in the common room.

"Yes, I believe that it did. Why?"

"That's not a good sign."

Cameron laughed at the scowl on Paris' face. "No kidding. What of it?"

Paris glared at Cameron, "You don't know Rory. Rory doesn't slam doors. Those two hooligans are still in the common room. They're still arguing. Rory slammed the door which means she will disappear and ignore everyone she knows."

Cameron shrugged her shoulders and arched her brows, "That's no big deal. Paris, everyone has different cool down strategies."

"She'll disappear for days, hours good, days not good, you getting the picture?"

"Sorry." Cameron said while shaking her head.

"Rory has a daughter. A daughter that calls her three times a day. She also has a mother who calls her five times a day just to remind her that her coffee minimum per day is fifteen cups by noon. Then she has her father who calls five times a day too. Not to mention her grandparents expect her at dinner tomorrow for Friday night dinner. Then there's her classes, homework, the newspaper and her internship," Paris rambled on not caring whether or not Cameron was retaining any of it.

"Wait Rory has a daughter?" Cameron asked flabbergasted that someone as career motivated as Rory would have a child.

"Yes, A six year old daughter who by the way has three last names because her grandparents and her daughter's grandparents are anal about names and heritages."

"Three last names? You're kidding me right?"

Paris shook her head and took a deep breath before rattling off her next train of thought, "Rory's daughter's name is Lorelei Lei-Lani Gilmore IV Hayden II-Dugrey,"

"Oh shit and here I thought I had problems," Cameron sputtered. "Wait, You said DuGrey? You mean to tell me that…"

"Yes, Tristan is Lani's father," Paris cut her off. "That scene you saw earlier was mostly about Lani. You can imagine just how screwed up Lani's life is right now. She lives with her grandparents, sees her mother on Fridays, weekends, and vacations. She doesn't know her father and her mother is dating her second cousin. If anything Tristan's pissed about his cousin dating his daughter's mother."

Cameron looked at Paris with an uncertain look. "I highly doubt that. You read way too much into the in between lines. I know what I saw and heard out there. Tristan is still in love with Rory. He hates the fact that he's been kept from her by his family and friends. Then he finds out that she's dating his cousin. Well that right there would piss me off too if I were him. I wouldn't want my cousin to be my child's stepparent, whether or not I play an active role in the child's life. It's immoral."

Paris stood silently for a minute. What Cameron said made some sense. Cameron unknowingly planted a seed in Paris' head. Operation Romeo and Juliet was created and Cameron would be the lead agent, "Thanks Cameron you just gave me a great idea."

Cameron looked at the obsessed and intimidating younger woman as if she were crazy. "Why do I have the feeling that I'm not going to like this?"

"You spouted your theories therefore you'll make a great accessory to my grand scheme," Paris smirked and her eyebrows arched daring Cameron to challenge her.

Cameron sighed flipped her hair over her shoulder, rolled the tension out her shoulder and looked at the younger woman. "What do you want me to do?"

Outside in the Common Room Tristan and Logan were having a stare down. Both were determined to not be the first to buckle down and end the silence. Tristan with his military training won out in the end.

"Now see what you did," Logan fumed. "You pissed her off and now she won't come back until one of us is gone!"

Tristan smirked, his trademark smirk it ran in their mothers' family so naturally the two cousins inherited the obnoxious feature. "I didn't do anything I didn't want to do. You on the other hand seem to think you're God's gift to women. Tell me oh so great cousin of mine do you know how many cups of coffee she needs to ingest before she's a normally functioning human? Do you know her most favorite movie or junk food? Or how she bites her lip and tucks her hair at the same time when she's infuriated."

Logan didn't look fazed by what Tristan was trying to say he knew all of this information. He didn't need to know how intimate his cousin was with his current girlfriend, he knew by proxy. Lani was proof enough that in one point in his cousin's life that Tristan was extremely intimate with Rory. The fact that he didn't take Rory's virginity was overwhelming. It was clear that Rory never had sex with anyone after Tristan. She was hesitant to even tell him that she had a child. It took her a few months to disclose Lani's existence to him and even then it was after a night of amazing sex. To find out that Rory wasn't a virgin disappointed him. He guessed that deep down inside he wanted to be the one who claimed her innocence and ultimately marry her. He knew that Rory wasn't one to just have casual sex. The person she gave herself to was probably most likely to be her future husband.

Now seeing how intense Tristan and Rory could be while in the same room was proof that Rory truly did love Lani's father more then she cared to admit. He saw the hurt that she had and the anger that she wasn't ready to give up. Tristan had betrayed her more then he thought. No wonder why he had a hard time being able to date her, he reminded her of Tristan.

"I'm not the only one she's pissed at Tristan. She's pissed at you too. I wasn't having a one-sided pissing contest in front of her. You're in this equation too."

Tristan clenched his jaw to keep any hateful remarks to himself. The last thing he needed was to assault Logan and on his first day at Yale. "Maybe not but you don't stand a chance against me Logan. I am her first love, I am her daughter's father and one way or another she'll be mine again. I don't care if you're my cousin or my worst enemy, when it comes to Rory I won't stop until she and I are married."

"Fighting words for someone who's never gone to bat with me, don't you think? What's to stop me from keeping her from you? Obviously our family went through great lengths to keep you from her. What's to become of this situation when I tell everyone that you've transferred to Yale just to be closer to Rory? I'm pretty sure that Uncle Russell and Aunt Sharon wouldn't bee too keen to find out this interesting tidbit."

"Intimidation and blackmail my Huntz you've grown to be quite the socialite since moving to Hartford. Do you honestly think I'm intimidated by you? Stay the hell away from Rory if you know what's good for you!"

Logan glared at his younger cousin. The man before him was far harder to take on now then when he was younger, "If I don't?"

Tristan looked vacantly into Logan's eyes. "Then you will be subjected to my military training," he said tiredly. "I don't want to have to hurt you and I don't want to have to face Robert, Stephanie or Finn either. I just want Rory to give me another chance. You can understand that can't you?"

Logan looked at his cousin and saw the determination in his eyes. "Yeah, I guess I can Tristan but you also have to understand that she's not ready for you to just barge into her life. She has a daughter, she has school, she has me and as much as you do not like that you need to accept it until she's ready for you to be a very integral part of her life. I'm not ready to give her up either. We've been together for almost two years; I was going to ask her to marry me tonight?"

Tristan chose to ignore his cousin after hearing the intended proposal. It made him realize just how bad he screwed up with Rory in the past. Had he not transferred to Yale now he would have lost the chance to get her back completely.

Logan saw his cousin deep in thought and took a moment to reflect on their current issue as well. Having not been able to see his cousin in five years has changed everything. The two were always as close as brothers growing up but now seeing Tristan again and realizing just how important he had been in Rory's life was conflicting, he didn't want to let go of Rory but he also didn't want to upset Tristan. He especially didn't want to confuse Lani. Her stepfather would actually be her second cousin on her father's side of the family. The whole thing would be a scandal in the Hartford Society, Boston Society and New York City Society.


	2. Parts VII and VIII

My thank yous go out to:

**ddani** – Thank you so much. I really appreciate it and thank you for reading this story.

**:D (aka A Happy Girl)**– Thank you for your compliment. I really appreciate it. Thank you for your suggestions too. I'll try really hard to incorporate them into the next few parts but for right now hard to handle Tristan has to be around. But don't worry he will be likeable and very soon. Rory and Logan will start acting like a long-term committed couple in this next section. Don't worry and thank you for reading this story.

**GilmoreFreak** – Thank you so much for your compliment. It did take me days to come up with this very intricate plot. It actually took _Months_ to write it. Also thank you for the encouragement and thank you for reading this story.

**EEL0404** – Thank you for reading my story. I appreciate your compliment.

**Joellekyle0712** – Thank you for the compliment. I honestly don't think that a TRORY story is a TRORY if it didn't have some drama. What do you think?

**TuggyAngel08** – Thank you for the compliment and thank you for reading this story. I'm glad you like it.

**FinnisIMP, LoVe23, Mrmp, omeomy, Princetongirl,** and **smartmonkey101** - Thank you all so much for the compliment and thank you for reading this story. I'm glad you like it.

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**Part VII**

After slamming the door Rory had no clue as to where to go. Lane was off on tour with her band. Jess was melting away in California and her parents were in Stars Hollow thinking everything at Yale was hunky dory. She wished to high heavens that Logan and Tristan had stopped their squabbling as soon as she slammed the door. Although, she knew it was wishful thinking, both Logan and Tristan were as stubborn as ever.

"Guess it's off to Boston for some shopping and sulking," she told herself. Whenever some travesty happens to her she flees off to Boston. The Haydens had a guest Townhouse in Boston they would use when they had to do business in the Massachusetts capital. It saved them money thousands of dollars a year actually. She would always get a driver to take her to her family's summer/weekend house whenever she was upset. This time was no exception.

She pulled her cell phone out of her purse and pressed an all too familiar number on the keypad. She pressed the send button. The person on the other end picked up on the first ring. She heard a sigh and a mumbled, "I'll be there in five minutes."

She mumbled at quick, "Thank you Alicia" before pressing the end call button. Alicia Sterling had been Rory's driver since Rory had started Preschool (when she was three). Alicia and Rory's friendship went beyond driver and charge as the years past the two became as close as sisters, knowing each other's moods just by answering the phone.

Alicia knew Rory had been excited about her evening with Logan and she hadn't expected a call from her this evening. Something or someone ruined the evening and she was sure she was going to find out as soon as she picked up Rory.

Rory only had to wait five minutes before her personal family car pulled up to the curb in front of her dorm building. She saw Alicia step out of the car and saw her examine her emotional state. Alicia gasped, "Oh dear, He's back," she exclaimed. She ran over to Rory and wrapped her arms around her. Rory started sobbing into the older woman's shoulder. "Come on, Let's get you into the car and head to Boston."

Rory nodded mutely and allowed herself to be led by her oldest friend into the passenger seat of the black Turbo Porsche that he parents gave her as an elementary school graduation present. Once settled in, Alicia settled into the driver's seat, turns the ignition on, put the car into gear, and stepped on the gas. She pulled on to the road and headed for the highway leading to Boston.

**XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX**

Paris walked into the common room to see Tristan and Logan have a stare off. "Well at least the verbal part of this argument is over. Can anyone tell me what happened to Rory?"

Paris wasn't dumb she knew where Rory headed whenever she was upset. She doubted that Logan. She knew that Tristan knew at one point too.

"She just went for a walk to clear her head like she always does," Logan interjected.

Logan's innocence of Rory's intended destination made Tristan want to laugh at his cousin, but he checked the urge, he had caused enough turmoil for the day. Tristan sent a knowing look to Paris and saw her nod the affirmation.

"Well, I'm going to pack an overnight bag and head out." Tristan stated, "You might want to go find your girlfriend. She needs you now." He said to Logan.

"Why are you packing an overnight bag? Don't you have classes in the morning," Paris asked playing along.

"Nah, my classes don't start until Monday. An old Harvard Buddy of mine wanted to throw me a party this weekend celebrating my transfer to Yale."

"How typical, when we were younger all you thought about was partying. Now Rory's gone missing and you don't seem to care."

Tristan rolled his eyes. "She's your girlfriend Logan and as you said about two minutes ago she's probably just taking a walk to clear her head. I'm the last person she wants to see right now. She could still be on campus; you can still catch up to her. She needs you now more than me."

Logan smirked, nodded his head and went in search of his girlfriend, "Please be at the coffee kiosk," he murmured at the door.

Tristan smirked. "He doesn't know about the Boston Townhouse does he?" He asked Paris once the door was closed and it became a barrier between them and Logan.

Paris shrugged. "Can't confirm nor deny," she smiled. She then sat on the couch, picked up the remote control from the coffee table, turned on the television and changed the channel to CSPAN. She immediately went into the world of politics.

Tristan shook his head, **Same old Paris. Never will change.**

Paris, Tristan and Rory had grown up to in Hartford Society. They all had summer homes and weekend cottages in Boston, Los Angeles, Paris, London and Miami, all coincidentally in the relative vicinity of each other. Boston, London, Paris, Miami and Los Angeles were hot beds for their family businesses. To have weekend homes in those cities were necessities for business. Their grandparents and parents spent integral amounts of time in each city and renting accommodations to suit their needs were costly.

Tristan knew Boston had always been Rory's favorite city. Growing up the two of them would talk about going to Harvard to get away from the stresses of society and family obligation. So when it was time for him to fill out college applications in his junior year at Military school he had applied to Harvard knowing she would be there. Oh how wrong he was. It took another two years to figure out she had settled for Yale and put her dreams of Harvard on hold to be close to family. Later he had found out the reason was because she had kept their child. The reason she chose to attend Yale was because the arrangement she made with their families could only work if she settled for Yale.

By the time he had learned the real reason for her just settling, his parents and grandparents were already rubbing Lani in his face, dangling the hope that he would get to meet his daughter like a carrot teasing a rabbit.

He had no doubts that Rory and Lorelei somehow convinced themselves that he had only used Rory to get what he wanted from her. Rory wasn't just another conquest for him. She was his first true love. Thinking nothing would ever happen between them he dated Summer Russell and fell in love with her. The relationship only lasted a few months but it was enough to send Tristan into a downward spiral. Rory had managed to pull him out of his spiral and the two ended up dating for a year and a half before screwing up big time by having sex with Summer.

That seemed like a couple decades ago now. He just wished he knew what to do to get Rory to trust him again. Worst thing about his predicament is she's his cousin's girlfriend soon to be fiancé. He needed to work fast if he was going to have his dreams fulfilled. First task is to get to Boston and put his impromptu plan in motion.

**XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX**

Alicia had stayed silent in the front of the car letting Rory have the thinking time she needed for this ride. Alicia had been driving for the Haydens since she was eighteen and Rory was three. She was actually Rory's babysitter from the time Rory was six months old until she could get her chauffeur's license at eighteen. Alicia's family had been working for the Haydens since Alicia had been a child so to be able to working for them or Rory for that matter was something she cherished. She and Rory were both only children but Rory had always thought of Alicia as a sister because she had been around her whole life. The forty-one year old loved her job. It was times like these that she wished she could fix all of Rory's problems like she could when Rory was younger.

"He came back," she heard Rory whisper, "Then wanted to pretend like nothing happened and the years apart didn't matter."

Alicia just listened. "Then Logan showed up and it was like he short circuited. They used to be close when they were children considered themselves brothers. They're actually cousins. I didn't know that up until recently. Anyway just before Logan showed up, I told Tristan I had a date. Tristan answered the door and immediately started putting all the clues together."

Alicia sighed. She was itching to console her but Rory needed this venting more. "Then Tristan and I started having an argument and then he brought Logan into it. Then I was forgotten and they started ripping into the topic Rory's mine stay away from her. I then yelled for them to stop and they kept on with their argument. I said something along the lines of when either one of them grows maturity they can come find me."

Alicia gave a sad smile through the rearview mirror. "Ror if you go to Boston how is Logan going to find you? I'm pretty sure he is worried sick about you and I know for a fact you didn't tell him about your favorite hiding place."

Rory nodded. "I just need time to process that He is back. I call Logan and tell him I'm safe and unharmed when things settle."

"I'll call your parents and let them know where you will be," Alicia sighed. "You sit back and relax."

"Thank you Lici," Rory said with a smile. Alicia chuckled. Rory couldn't pronounce her name right when she started talking, the only part of Alicia name she could say was Lici and it just stuck after all these years.

"You're welcome kid. Now relax I have a call to make."

Rory did as she was told while Alicia picked up the car's mobile phone's receiver and dialed all too familiar numbers.

Alicia waited until the other person picked up and said Hello. "Hello Lorelei," Alicia began.

"Oh no. She's going to Boston," was the immediate answer Lorelei said instead of 'Hi Alicia what's up.' "What happened," she asked her daughter's most trusted confident.

"I take it you know Tristan is back," Alicia countered.

"Rory called this morning and told me. What's got her so upset?"

Alicia sighed, took a pause and said, "His return and an argument between them and Logan."

"Damn, I forgot that she and Logan had a date tonight to celebrate their anniversary," Lorelei sighed. "Ok well I'll explain to Lani that her mother won't be coming home this weekend and I'll let my parents know she won't be at family dinner. Take care of our girl Alicia."

Alicia smiled and laughed, "I always do Lore." The two older adults hung up the phone and Alicia concentrated on her driving. She would check in the rearview mirror occasionally to see how Rory was doing.

The drive to the Townhouse from New Haven was only about an hour and half since there was barely any highway traffic that night. What surprised Alicia was that two Townhouses away from the Hayden Townhouse sat a familiar looking car. **Damn how did he get here so fast? He was still in their dorm arguing with Logan when I picked her up. He must have broke several speeding laws and made some other serious traffic violations.**

"Rory wake up we're here," Alicia gently coaxed Rory out of her slumber. Without having to be shaken awake Rory woke up rubbing her eyes and trying to get her bearings straight she looked around. She smiled when she realized they were in front of the family Townhouse.

"Come on Lici." She said excitedly as she opened the car door and ran to the Townhouse's front door. She pried her key out of her purse and immediately went through the process of unlocking the door and pressing buttons on the security system to disarm the alarm.

"I remember when I was the one who would have to disarm that damn thing," Alicia joked.

Rory just shook her head and wrapped her arms around the older woman. "Come on Lici. I need hot cocoa, popcorn, all the junk food we have here and Willy Wonka."

Alicia nodded and the two went to work finding everything. Alicia hoped Tristan wouldn't try anything tonight. Rory needed her space.

**XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX**

Tristan sighed as he saw Rory's Porsche drive up to the curb of her Boston Townhouse. He had no doubts that she had her life long Nanny/Driver Alicia Sterling driving the car. If it was Alicia she wouldn't let him anywhere near Rory tonight. He just needed to wait out the weekend. He would call his friends from around Boston and have a couple parties at the DuGrey Townhouse.

"Can't believe she didn't tell her boyfriend about Boston," he stated in genuine disbelief.

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**Part VIII**

Lani trotted merrily into her family home's living room. She had just spent the day at school and then afternoon spending time with "Uncle" Jess and "Grandpa" Luke. She usually spent her afternoons after school at the local diner in Stars Hollow just like her mom use to do when she was younger reading and doing the very rare homework assignment. "Uncle" Jess helped her with the homework and she smiled at the thought that she had him wrapped around her finger.

"Nana, I'm home," she shouted into the hallway of the small house her grandparents Nana and Grandpa "Grampy" Chris owned in the tiny town of Stars Hollow.

"I'm on the phone Peanut. Why don't you go visit Grampy in the yard?" Lorelei asked her granddaughter.

Lani knew better then to interrupt Grams (aka Nana) when she was on the phone. She was usually talking to Mom (Rory), "Auntie" Sookie, or "Uncle" Michel. Grams never spoke to Papa or Great Gram unless she absolutely had to.

Lani skipped to the backdoor. She looked out the screen to see Grampy muttering bad words out of his mouth about weeds and gardening.

"Grampy you owe me two doors for saying four bad words," Lani stated as she walked through the screen door and skipped over to her grandfather.

Christopher groaned. He usually kept his cool when he knew Lani was around. Then he let himself use all the foul language he wanted to. "I'm sorry Peanut. I didn't know you were home. Here you go," he said as he took his wallet out of his pocket, took two dollars and handed it to the six year old.

"Who's Nana on the phone with," Lani asked innocently.

Christopher sighed and then took a pause before answering his granddaughter, "Great Gram."

Lani's eyes widened. "Great Gram didn't…"

Christopher shook his head. "No Grams called Great Gram."

Lani's eyes widened even more, "She never does that? What happened?"

"Grams will tell you as soon as she gets off the phone."

**XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX**

"Mom, no don't start in on the 'if you had been a more involved parent they would have never been able to get to where they are now'," Lorelei sighed.

"Lorelei can you blame me? I have the DuGrey's coming over tomorrow. They expect Lani and Rory to be at dinner." Emily Gilmore rambled.

"Well, you can tell them that their son transferred to Yale then," Lorelei countered.

"What!" Emily exclaimed. "That's not possible. He's at Harvard none the wiser."

Lorelei laughed in her mother's ear. "Mom, He transferred to Yale and he's Rory dorm mate. They live in a Co-ed suite. He found out that Rory is dating Logan Huntzberger and flipped. The three of them got into an argument and your granddaughter high-tailed it to Boston. So it's safe to say she isn't going to be back in time for Friday night dinner with the Gilmores, DuGreys and Haydens tomorrow night."

"I honestly don't know what happened to that boy. He used to be so kind and respectful. Did exactly was he was suppose to do. I swear he has alterative motives."

"He does Mom. It's to be reunited with the one he got separated from and to become a family with her and their child."

"Well I…"

"Mom, I have to go Lani just stepped inside and I need to talk to her," Lorelei interrupted her mother. "I'll let you know when Rory resurfaces." She muttered before hanging up the phone with out a proper good-bye.

Lani had been waiting for her grandmother to finish her phone conversation with her great grandmother. She walked into the living room when she saw her grandmother hang up the phone. "What's up Nana? Grampy said you needed to tell me something."

Lorelei smiled at her granddaughter, "Lani, I need you to sit down for me please Peanut."

Lani did as her grandmother asked. She was worried though. "Ok, Grams you're scaring me now. What's going on," she asked seriously.

Lorelei sat on the coffee table in front of the couch where Lani had sat down just a few seconds ago. She looked into her granddaughter's eyes and paused for a moment. "Mommy's not coming home this weekend."

The words took a few seconds to register into Lani brain before she felt a reaction, "What do you mean she's not coming home? I haven't seen Mommy in three weeks. She promised she'd come home today. She promised!" She cried and yelled.

Lorelei kneeled on the floor in front of Lani and wrapped her arms around the little girl. This situation reminded her of when Rory was a little girl. Chris would spend the week up in Boston, Miami, London, Paris or Los Angeles. His weekends and vacations were reserved for Rory and herself. On occasion he had business that needed tending to throughout a weekend or vacation. Lorelei had to comfort her daughter during those times.

Flashback

"_Rory, kiddo, come here for a second," Lorelei called to her six year old daughter._

_Rory smiled as she walked up to her Mom from her bedroom. "What is it Mommy?"_

_Lorelei sighed. She hated telling Rory Daddy was too busy to come home and spend time with his munchkin. "Daddy has to stay in London this week. I'm sorry Munchkin but he won't be coming home this weekend."_

_Rory felt tears threatening to escape her eyes. "I hate Daddy. I hate him. He promised he'd be home. He promised." She stormed off running to her bedroom while the tears finally escaped and streaked down her cheeks._

_End Flashback_

"I know she did Honey. It's just that something happened today at her school, something that upset her very deeply. She's gone to Boston sweetheart. She'll come home soon when she isn't as upset as she was before."

"It's because Daddy came back isn't it," Lani asked her grandmother maturely.

Lorelei gave her granddaughter a quizzical look, "What are you talking Munchkin?"

Lani smiled down at her grandmother, "I heard a little bit of the conversation you were talking to Great Gram about. I heard Limo Boy's name and another name that I wasn't familiar with. That's Daddy's name isn't it? He came back and had the fight with Mommy and Logan."

Lorelei repositioned herself to sit on the coffee table and she motioned for Lani to sit on the couch. "I see Mommy and I have taught you well even if it is rude to listen in on other people's conversations." She gave a pointed look to Lani. "Yes Great Gram and I were talking about Daddy, Mommy and Logan. By the way your Mom is right. It's rude for us to call Logan Limo Boy. I want you to stop ok?"

Lani nodded although she wasn't going to stop calling Logan Limo Boy in her journals.

"Now I don't want you to hate your Father. He means well he does but he's like you and Mommy…too stubborn for your own good," Lorelei smiled. "Daddy loves your Mom very much and he wants so much to have another chance to be her boyfriend. He transferred from Harvard University to Yale University."

Lani's eyes widened at the meaning of that. Grams told her that Harvard University was Mommy's first choice University before she came along. Daddy and Mommy were supposed to go to the same University after they graduated high school but they didn't graduate together. Daddy got in trouble and got sent to Military School. Mommy decided to stay closer to home and go to Yale.

"Papa Dugrey and Mimi wanted to keep Daddy away from you and Mommy, so that he wouldn't go around breaking your hearts."

"So they told Daddy that Mommy was at Harvard right?" Lani asked.

Lorelei nodded. "Yes they did Sweetie. He figured out they lied to him and went in search of Mommy. Now they're living together at Yale."

Delight lit up the six year old girl's eyes at her parents living together. "Are they…"

"No Honey. They are not a couple. Daddy found out that Mommy is dating his cousin."

Lani was confused now. Mommy was dating Limo Boy not Daddy's cousin. "But Mommy's dating Logan. Logan isn't Daddy's cousin."

Lorelei sighed and gave a sad smile to the little girl. "Logan is Daddy's cousin. Mimi and Logan's Mom Shira are sisters."

"Ew, that's gross. Mommy's dating my cousin?" She asked with her face scrunched up in distaste.

Lorelei laughed at the discomfort featured on Lani's face, "If you put it that way. I can see how that can gross you out."

Lani was a smart little girl. She had read more books about family relationships then her whole class when they studied about families. "Yes I put it that way. He's my cousin. When they get married, my new Daddy is going to be my cousin too. Then my new brothers and sisters are going to be my cousins also. That is so gross."

Lorelei was amazed at how fast Lani could correlate what her new family structure would be if Rory and Logan got married. "I don't think they will get married Honey. Not if your father has anything to say. They all got into a fight this afternoon about Logan dating Mommy. That's why Mommy is upset. That's why Mommy's not coming home today."

"Where is Mommy?"

"Boston."

That was all Lani needed to hear, "Oooh. It was that bad?" Lani's Mommy use to go to Boston all the time when she and Dean were dating. The two used to fight all of the time but the fighting would last for days before Mommy fled to the Boston Townhouse. The fight must have been really, really bad for Mommy to flee just after a day to Boston.

"Yes darling it was that bad. Don't worry though. I have a feeling that Daddy is on his way to Boston to see how she is doing?"

Lani tilted her head at the new information. "Why doesn't Logan go find her? After all he is her boyfriend."

Lorelei laughed at the little girl's innocence. "Does Auntie Paris like Logan?"

Lani scrunched up her nose. "No. She says he reminds him of Bad Daddy."

Lorelei nodded. "I'm pretty sure that Auntie Paris and Daddy fed Logan a line that Mommy just went for a walk and she's still in New Haven."

"How would you get all that out of Auntie Lici?" Lani asked her grandmother.

Lorelei just shook her head. "I didn't. I just know Auntie Paris better than you think I do. Plus Logan doesn't know about the Boston Townhouse being Mommy's favorite hiding place."

"Oh, ok" Lani said. "I'm tired can I go to bed now?" She asked with a real yawn.

Lorelei ruffled her hair. "Sure kiddo. I'll see you in the morning." She watched as her granddaughter walked into Rory's childhood bedroom and closed the door.

She stood up pivoted on her toes and fell backwards on to the couch with a sigh. "You better get your act together soon Rory. You've got two DuGreys siding against you and Logan now."

**XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX**

Rory groaned. It was midnight and the walls of her room were thrumming to a beat from music two Townhouses away. She hated when other society kids came down the same weekend she did because it meant party central and she wouldn't be able to sleep at all.

She drudged herself out of bed and walked out to the kitchen area were she saw Alicia sitting and the breakfast bar with coffee mug in hand. She gave a tired smile to the younger woman.

"Couldn't sleep eh," Alicia joked.

"Those morons should be arrested for disturbing the peace." Rory grumbled.

Alicia laughed. "It's those people and you. You're the only other occupant on this road this time of year. Let them have their fun."

"I'm going to find out which family that is and ring all their necks." Rory grumbled.

Alicia shook her head and shoved a coffee mug into her hands. "Chug all that down your throat in one gulp and then I can talk to you like a normal person."

Alicia wondered if Rory even knew which house was making all the noise keeping her up.

Rory managed to swallow the whole mug of coffee in one mug and then glared at Alicia. "Enabling one's drug addiction is a serious offense," she muttered still trying to be mad at the older woman.

Alicia just chuckled. "You say that now but the next time you are woken up and don't have caffeine in your system don't come crying to me. I can just see it now 'refusing to enable one's drug addiction is inexcusable.' I've heard it all girl."

"The regular society kids know to kill the music at midnight. It's getting to be almost two a.m."

"Why do you care? You cleared your schedule so you can sleep in how ever long you want tomorrow."

Alicia was met with another glare. "Hey don't look at me like that. I'm not the one with a psychological problem," Alicia defended herself.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean Lici?" Rory fumed.

"Exactly what you think it means. Running away from the problem is psychological. Listen I understand that your world got sent into a tailspin with Tristan's return but you are an adult now. Adults talk their problems out instead of running away like a little girl looking for Mommy and Daddy to solve their problems."

"I'm not running away. I'm just processing what has happened," Rory said in defense. "Then after I have processed it I deal with it." She muttered.

Alicia shook her head. "Honey, Look, I've been your care taker and personal driver your whole life. I've seen the phases you've gone through. Most of them have been because of Tristan and your Dad. You've ran away for all the occasions that didn't go in your favor," she stated. "But I have to remind you that your actions do have consequences. You hurt Lani every time you escape. She only sees you weekends, vacations, summers and holidays. She lives with your parents and she gets excited every time she hears that you're coming home. Now you've only run to Boston one other time since she was born. You promised you wouldn't do that to her again but now look where you are and what you've done."

Rory glared at Alicia while thinking about the impact her actions were affecting the people who cared about her and in most cases the people she cared about. She hated to admit that Alicia was right but she wasn't proud enough to let the hate overpower her strong will. "I can't take it Alicia. I can't take him living in my dorm, being in my school, I can't take having him suddenly drench himself in my life after all these years."

Alicia gave a sad smile and tilted her head to the side. "You can't take it because you're still mad at, think maybe you, him? Or you can't take it because you still love him?"

Rory sighed and walked to the coffee perk to refill her mug. "I don't know how I can explain it. I mean I want so desperately to say that I've stopped thinking about him but that would be a lie. I think about him every time I look at my daughter. I remember the love and then the betrayal." She lifted the mug to her face and sniffed the aroma, instead of adding any sweeteners and cream she took a sip of the plain dark fluid. "I know I should just ignore the betrayal. I mean it happened almost seven years ago but I guess I can't because I actually saw it."

Alicia stayed quiet as Rory finally began unraveling what she had tied up so close to her heart for the last six years.

"What would have happened if I had arrived at his home ten minutes later to give him the news? Would he have told me he cheated on me? Would Summer still have been there?"

Alicia knew that the subject of infidelity was a sore subject for Rory. Both her parents got married when they were teenagers. They weren't like the typical society family. They had moved to the tiny town of Stars Hollow to keep their new child away from the scandal they had caused by becoming teen parents. They only came into the city for family functions, society functions, school, and work. They had set up a strong family environment for themselves and Rory in Stars Hollow.

Chris had become immerse in his family's business and started traveling a lot. By the time Rory had started high school her parents were separated but still married. Chris started seeing a Filipina woman named Sherry. Sherry had gotten pregnant around the time Rory did.

Rory found out and didn't speak to her father for months. A couple days after she found out that her father's mistress was pregnant, Rory walked in on Tristan cheating on her with his ex-girlfriend. Lorelei started dating Luke out of spite for Chris. Two years later Lani and Gigi were two, Chris and Lorelei reconciled. Sherry had past away, leaving her daughter's custody to Chris. Lorelei had a one year old son with Luke out of their extramarital relationship.

Rory's perfect family was filled with confusion and her mistrust of the opposite sex set her emotionally back with rearing her child. Rory didn't hate her half-siblings. They were the loves of her life along with Lani; she had just wished that if her parents really were as miserable as they seemed that they had filed for divorce before they had brought their lovers and more children into the mix.

Derek and Gigi (Georgina) lived with her mother and father. Luke allowed Lorelei full-custody of Derek. He still was able to see Dre as everyone called Derek at the Diner and on weekends but Dre's primary father figure was Chris. Gigi calls Lorelei, Mommy, as Lorelei had fully adopted her. It still hurt Lorelei to know that Chris had fathered another child with someone else and Chris felt the same way about Lorelei even though he loved Dre like his own son.

So now the Hayden Home was filled up with two six year olds and a five year old. All except one knew who both their parents were and that filled Rory with more regret then she had ever wanted in her life.

It wasn't her idea to keep Tristan out of Lani's life. That was Russell's and Janlan's thinking. To even bring up Tristan and Lani in the same conversation was unheard of at the family dinners. This made Rory wonder if it really was Tristan's idea to not be allowed to talk about Lani at the dinners. If it really was Tristan's idea to stay away from Lani and Rory for as long as he had, but from what she and Tristan discussed earlier that day in their dorm made her re-evaluate all of her theories about him. She wasn't about to rule out his indiscretion though.

**XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX**

Tristan sat on the living room couch with a beer in his hand and laughing at jokes his college buddies were laughing at. The music was blaring and couples were dancing. The scene reminded him of his school days back in Hartford. It was good to be partying again even if he still had serious thoughts swimming in his head.

He had no doubt in his mind that Rory was fuming at who ever was throwing the party two doors down from the Hayden Townhouse and making it last until the wee hours of the morning.

"So why the unexpected return to the grand old Commonwealth of Massachusetts, DuGrey my man," asked a friend.

Tristan just shook his head. "My girl is dating my cousin."

All eyes appeared to be on him. "To make matters even worse my girl and I have a daughter." He hadn't told anyone that he had been a father before tonight. It felt liberating to come out with a well guarded secret.

"Dude that's sad. You're girl is dating your cousin and your daughter is in the mix too. Damn I'd do my best to break that situation apart as fast as I can. Then I would beat the shit out of my cousin"

Tristan wanted to laugh at the idea because when he had seen Logan in the entryway to his dorm that was exactly what he wanted to do. Thinking about it now he felt guilty for even wanting to cause harm to his cousin. He took a larger gulp of his beer and let the liquid do the desired effect on his brain.

Tonight was about drinking, hanging out with friends, and saying good-bye to immature, egotistical Tristan Janlan DuGrey.


	3. Parts IX to XI

KarahBella; eternalgorithm – thank you both so much.

Nicole Katherine; :D; EEL0404 – thank you

mrmp – Thank you. No trory would be complete with out a little drama right?

LoVe23- Thank you, I've read other stories where Lorelei pulls an Emily about Rory being a teenage mom and not being open minded about Tristan. I always wondered what the show would have been like if Tristan was Rory's first boyfriend and Lorelei both gave them approval. This story is my way of expressing it.

anon- thank you for your opinion. I can see where Rory's parenting skills or lack there of could constitute not parenting at all. To some of my readers she could be, being neglectful, to others she could be doing the best she can, or to others it just might be a situation they actually are in.

Audrey Julianne – I'm truly honored that you are interested in my story. Hope this chapter keeps you intrigued.

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**Part IX**

Logan fumed as he came barging into his apartment after unsuccessfully trying to find Rory. Despite what Tristan said about Rory still being on campus, Logan couldn't find her anywhere. He was more disappointed in himself then anything for listening to Tristan's crap back at Rory's dorm and being the last nerve for making her run off.

He sighed. He had no idea where she could be and that frightened him. He had called Lorelei and Christopher to see if they had heard anything thing from their daughter but all he received was a busy signal. He wanted to call Emily and Richard but he didn't have their phone number and he wasn't about to call his mother to get that little piece of information.

He had no choice he had to call his Aunt Sharon and get the Gilmores' phone number. He pulled his cell phone out of his back pocket, punched in a vaguely familiar phone number and pressed send. He waited patiently for the other end to pick up.

"Dugrey Residence, Henri speaking how can I help you," the voice on the other end greeted.

"Hello, Is Sharon DuGrey available please," he asked politely.

"May I ask who is calling," Henri asked.

"Her nephew Logan Huntzberger," he answered.

"One moment please," Henri asked then a pause.

Logan waited for a couple of minutes until the phone was picked up again.

"Logan, Darling, It's so good to hear from you," a woman said as Logan's wait was ending.

"Hello Aunt Sharon. I am terribly sorry for interrupting you. I'm sure you're probably having tea with friends right now."

"Oh nonsense Logan. You know I always have time for my family. What is it I can do for you?"

"Well, you see, I desperately need Richard and Emily Gilmore's telephone number and I don't want to ask Mom for it," Logan answered his Aunt.

"Why do you need their telephone number," Sharon asked.

"Well, I'm dating their granddaughter Rory and she's gone missing. I was hoping they would know where to find her."

There was a pause before Sharon spoke to her nephew again, "You are what? She is what?"

"Dating Rory Gilmore. She's missing."

"You are dating my granddaughter's mother and she's missing! What happened?"

Logan sighed. He knew this was going to be harder than he thought. His Aunt didn't really know anything about his personal life and he hadn't told her he had been dating Rory for almost two years. "Tristan is attending Yale. He and Rory are room mates. He found out we were dating and all three of us had a very intense argument."

"Oh no, He's back. Oh no! I'm sorry Logan. Emily and Richard Gilmore are here. They have no idea where Rory is. I'm very sorry Logan. We…none of us can help you." She didn't want to lie to her nephew. She knew as well as everyone else with in this mixed up family Tristan and Rory created, where Rory was.

"Well, Thank you Aunt Sharon. Do have a good afternoon with your friends. Tell Uncle Russell I say hello."

"I will Logan. Goodbye."

"Goodbye." He ended the telephone call and sighed. Something was up. He knew his Aunt had just lied to him. She knew where Rory was. Maybe Rory told everyone not to tell him where she was but that wouldn't be like her. At least he didn't think so. How could Rory's grandparents have heard what he said to his Aunt unless they were listening in on another line?

He decided to try and call her cell phone. After dialing her number all he was met with was her voicemail: **_Rory's Nut House. We're full at the moment. Put you're name on the waiting list and we'll call you when we have a vacancy left._** He sighed. "Rory, It's me. I'm worried about you. Please call me and tell me where you are. Tell me if you're safe."

**

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Derek and Gigi came storming into the Hayden home arguing about something they obviously couldn't agree on.

"You started it. Take it back" The five year old boy yelled at his older sister.

"Why should I? You started it first," The six year old girl yelled back at her younger brother. "Mom Dre's being stupid!" Gigi yelled through the house trying to get Lorelei.

"Dad! Gigi is using bad words!" Derek yelled trying to get Christopher's attention.

Christopher and Lorelei were sitting at the kitchen table getting a short reprieve from the whole Rory running away situation. They could hear Lani in her mother's old bedroom crying at the top of her lungs.

They looked at each other, took big gulps of coffee and sighed. They both walked into the living room to see their youngest children glaring at each other, pushing and shoving.

"Hey break it up," Christopher said in a loud firm tone while wedging himself between his children. "What's going on here?"

"Well, he pushed me one to the ground," was Gigi's response while Derek said at the same time, "Gigi threw blanky in the swan pond."

"Ya well he told everyone that I had a crush on Toddy Forester."

"Let me see if I have this straight," Lorelei began as her husband tried to keep the children from hurting each other. "Dre told everyone you had a crush on a boy. You threw his blanket in the evil Swan's pond and Dre pushed you into the ground because you threw his blanket in the pond."

The two children looked up at their mother with forlorn faces and nodded. Christopher and Lorelei wanted to yell at them for being childish. They wanted to say there were more serious things happening then losing a blanket and everyone knowing a secret crush.

Christopher looked at Derek, "Where did you hear that your sister had a crush on this Forester kid?"

Derek shrugged as if it were no big deal. "I hear her talking to Amy on the phone." He smiled proudly.

"What! You little rat." Gigi lunged for her brother. Christopher stopped his daughter.

"Where do you go off throwing a blanket into a pond knowing your brother can't get it, Georgina," Lorelei asked Gigi. "You know Dre doesn't know how to swim and you know Pop Luke gave that blanket to him."

Gigi looked down at her feet. "Well, he deserved it."

"How would you feel if he threw away piggy," Christopher asked his daughter. "You're grounded for throwing his most treasured possession into the pond." He told his daughter. "Dre go to the corner," he directed Derek to the time out chair. "Five minutes for telling your sister's secret."

Both children groaned.

"Don't even think about it. You're sister is missing and your niece won't get to see her mother," Lorelei stated. "You both should be lucky that we're not grounding you for a month."

**

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**Part X**

Rory was rummaging through her Boston closet looking for a box she had stashed away. She had stashed it here because she didn't want the temptation of looking in it just after her break up with Tristan. This was her Tristan box. It was her mom's idea. Everything that reminded her of Tristan or that Tristan gave her went into the box. She had to fly out to all of the weekend houses to get everything to put into the box. It had taken her three months to finally have the box ready to be put into storage. She vowed never to open it again unless Tristan resurfaced.

Now since the blonde boy who was the first to steal her heart came back she needed to open it to confront her past and gain closure. Opening the box she found the last letter she had opened from him. She gingerly picked up the letter's envelope, reached in and took out the letter.

_Mary,_

_You're probably wondering why I'm not at the Romeo and Juliet performance right now and Paris is probably ready to find me to do something unspeakable. Grandpa and Dad sent me off to Military School in North Carolina. I wanted to say good bye to you properly but I know you would probably run off to Boston to lock yourself away from the world. Then Paris would track you down and World War III's first battle would begin._

_I want you to know that I do love you. I love you with all my heart. I don't have any excuses for hurting you the way I did. Giving into Summer was the worst mistake in my life. I can't imagine what you were feeling when you walked into my room and saw us. I just want you to know I am truly sorry._

_Take care of our little one. I hope it's a girl, so you can keep your family tradition alive. The world needs more Lorelei's. As you can guess my family told me about you being pregnant. I am so happy to hear the news. I can't believe we're going to be parents._

_I'm writing this in an airport waiting for my plane to board. I don't want to say good bye. I want so desperately to be in person, down on my knees begging for forgiveness. But we both know that I've been spiraling out of control with my behavior for awhile. You tried to warn me and I just shrugged your ideas away. You know me no respect for authority. Maybe Military school will do me some good. Hopefully when I get out, you and I can get together and talk out our problems. Our little one should be about two when we both graduate. I'll see you in Harvard. I just have a feeling that our families are going to keep me from seeing you._

_Well my flight is being called for boarding. There's so much I want to say. Hopefully I can remember it all for the next time I see you._

_All my love,_

_Bible Boy_

Reading the letter again brought brimming tears to her eyes like the first time she read it. She wanted to go to him and say she forgave him but she also needed to stand her ground. He had cheated on her with his ex-girlfriend. Lord knew how many other girls he probably cheated on her with. She gingerly replaced the letter in its original encasing, placing it on the nightstand next to her bed.

The next item on the top was a picture of them and their friends at the Stars Hollow Winter Festival. They all had been skating on a rink Taylor had demanded be apart of the Festival that year.

**_Flashback_**

_They had all decided that they wanted to see what Rory thought was so special about Stars Hollow's Annual Winter Festival, so Tristan rounded up Paris, Madelyn Lynd, Louise Grant, Carter Park and Steve Wu. They all bounded into Tristan's car and rode the half hour to Stars Hollow from Hartford._

_Rory was strolling the town's village green where the Festival was held every year with her mother. They both held mugs of hot cocoa in their hands while talking about what the Festival had to offer._

_Lorelei witnessed her daughter's best friends advancing towards them, but her daughter was too busy explaining which ride she was going to venture to first. It had been the first year that Taylor Doose; the town of Stars Hollow's self appointed town official for every important position in the town's political system; procured an array of rides from one of the bigger amusement ride companies in the country._

_Tristan had tiptoed up to Rory and covered her eyes with his hands. The act caused Rory to jump and attempt to runaway from the assailant. Tristan chuckled, disguised his voice and say, "Guess who?"_

_Rory laughed at the gesture, she faked not knowing who it was and gave three names knowing they weren't right before saying his name. Tristan had let go when she had said his name. She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head under his chin._

"_What are you doing her?" She asked smiling to him and the rest of their friends._

"_We wanted to see what was so great about your Winter Festival?" Tristan answered as the group's spokesperson._

"_Well you're just in time. Mom and I were debating about which rides we wanted to go on?"_

"_How about we all go Ice Skating?" Tristan suggested. "Then we'll figure out where to go next."_

_Paris, Louise, Madelyn, and Rory all grinned. Carter and Steve groaned. "What's the matter boys. You can play Hockey but not Figure skate with your girl friends?" Lorelei teased. "I see Luke over there. I'll catch you all later." _

_All the teens except Rory chuckled at Lorelei's antics. They all started towards the outdoor man made ice rink. Rory lingered behind staring at the back of her retreating mother. Her Mom and Luke Danes were becoming increasingly close lately and Rory wasn't too sure she liked that. She just guessed this was her Mom's way of getting even with her Dad for having an affair with that Philippine Woman. _

_She was pulled out of her thoughts by a hand being placed on her shoulder. She looked up to see Tristan smiling down at her. "Come on Mare let's go skating," he reminded her with a peck on her lips. _

_She allowed Tristan to lead her by the hand to the skate rental booth to pick out skates. "I can't believe you all want to skate. Don't you guys do that enough in Hartford," She asked._

"_Afraid you might fall down Mary," Tristan teased his girlfriend. He ended up on a receiving end of a glare from her._

"_Skating is a sport. Gilmores don't do sports," she muttered. She certainly was afraid she would fall down and with her luck end up with both her ankles broken._

_Paris gave a very rare smile to her friend and an even more rare laugh, "You are afraid. Oh my god, you've never skated before," she announced._

_Rory's face turned five shades of red. She buried her face in the crook of Tristan's neck. Tristan ended up glaring at Paris for embarrassing Rory. "I would never let anything happen to you," he whispered in Rory's ear. "You can cling on to me as tightly as you want." He meant that seriously but he couldn't help the double meaning lacing his voice._

_Rory glared at her boyfriend and then nodded her head in understanding. She sat down and had Tristan fit the skate boots on to her feet. He then helped her walk over to the ice with the skates on._

_Twenty minutes later Rory was laughing and smiling with the rest of her friends. She was being swirled around in the air by her boyfriend at the waist and actually able to move on the ice without a lot of help from Tristan. He had at one point came from behind her, swept her in his arms and started kissing her on the lips. Rory returned the kiss forgetting she was in Stars Hollow out on the ice in the middle of the village green. _

_Sookie saw the moment and had to take the picture. It was rare to see a Gilmore/Hayden Girl participating in a sport, let alone enjoying the experience. She was going to develop it and give a copy to Lorelei._

**_Flashback Ends_**

"I remember that day like it was just yesterday," a voice broke into her memorative trance. "We kept falling because you hadn't been on ice before. You claimed it was against the Gilmore Girl Code," the voice chuckled. "I miss those days were I witnessed you experiencing new things."

Rory broke out of her trance with a start and wiped her face to rid of tears, she just realized she was crying. "What are you doing here Tristan," she said not bothering to comment on his commemorative speech. She came to Boston to get away from him instead he chased after her as if they were still back in Chilton.

"I came to see how you were doing," he answered.

"Hmm, Let me see? How am I doing?" Rory asked herself pausing for a moment to think about his question. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and pushed her bangs out of her eyes with one finger looking up at her bedroom ceiling. The Tristan Box's contents forgotten and the picture floating down to rest on the top of the pile.

After the moment she looked him in the eyes with a pointed look, "I get into an argument with my boyfriend of two years and my ex-boyfriend of six years. I go somewhere to clear my head and my ex-boyfriend follows me. To make matters worse said ex-boyfriend throws an all night keg party which keeps me up all night. Then said ex-boyfriend comes into my house uninvited."

"Alicia thought you might have not clued me to that noise. I guess some things don't change and I was invited. Alicia invited me over." Tristan answered.

Rory glared at him. "This isn't a joke Tristan!!! I can't have you storm into my life just because you grew a conscious and want to atone for your past mistakes. It took me about two cups of coffee to realize where the party noise was coming from. I wasn't about to let Alicia caught on that I figured it out. Should have known she would let you in. You always were her favorite amongst my other boyfriends." She looked into his eyes and found herself speechless for a moment. "I'll have to talk to Alicia about meddling with my personal affairs," she muttered under her breath.

"Please don't she's only worried about you," he stated. He smirked knowing at least one person in Rory's "family" still favored him over others. "I didn't come here to fight Rory. I came because I know how you get when things get blown out of proportion. Last night got out of control and it all my fault, seeing you and Logan together got me seeing red and green. I know you didn't figure out who Logan was or how I was connected to him and I'm sorry. I should have introduced you to everyone in my family. I shouldn't be upset that you are finding happiness."

"Yes, you should and I don't blame you. If the situation was reversed, I think I probably would have reacted the same way Tristan. It's not your fault that Logan and I started dating and it's not your fault that I didn't know who he was. I found out about six months into the relationship who he really was at that point I didn't care. I actually started claiming up about past boyfriends, so he wouldn't figure out you and I use to date."

"I thought it would have been obvious he figured it out given Lani's last name," Tristan thought out loud.

Rory chuckled, "You would think so but no. Lani goes by Gilmore." She saw Tristan look hurt at her confession. "Tristan please don't. Lani is an heiress to three fortunes. It's bad enough that she has three of Hartford Society's most prominent last names. She's has all of our old teachers, who also have had our parents in their classes. They're still traumatized from yours and Dad's elementary school pranks," she laughed again. "It doesn't look like I'm an active parent but everything I've done so far with Lani has been protecting her."

Tristan sat down on the bed next to Rory and looked at her, "I bet she takes after you though," he stated breaking his moment of silence. He laughed hearing about Lani having his old teachers, "They must be shell shocked to see her not making any pranks."

"She does take after me and yes they were after the first couple of months of no incidents. Every year it's the same reaction. I don't know how I'm going to take her going to Chilton."

Tristan chuckled. It's true he finished his schooling in Military school but because his parents were on the Board of Trustees, he was also issued a Chilton diploma. "Why it's not like it'll be any of the same teachers. She's only six. Chilton's eight or nine years away."

"Max Medina will still be there and he has a grudge against the Gilmore's since Mom said she couldn't marry him because she already was married to Dad. He has a grudge against DuGrey's because of pranks being pulled by you and being given code of conduct probation by your parents. Then he has a grudge on Haydens because Dad beat the crap out of him for stalking Mom when the two broke up. All in all I'd say our daughter is in for one hell of tenure at Chilton when she gets there. That's if he's not named Headmaster."

Tristan smirked at her rambling and the way she called Lani 'our' daughter instead of her daughter. It was a little milestone and he'd take every little bonding time he could. "For all you know he was fired after you graduated, most of my family is on the Board, as well as your father and grandparents."

Rory laughed, "I hate Il Deuce. I hope he retired."

"You and your Mom still call Charleston Il Deuce," Tristan laughed.

"Hey what to you expect. He's mean and he doesn't give up. I almost expect him to not die either. I tell you if he's still Headmaster when Lani goes to Chilton, I'm sending her to Williamson Prep."

Tristan's eyes bulged at the statement. He knew serious Rory, sarcastic Rory and funny Rory. This was serious Rory. Williamson Prep was slightly newer school than Chilton but none of the "Old Money" families of Hartford ever sent their progeny there. It was considered taboo and its education was the equivalent of a public school system.

"Like hell you are. Both of our families have been going to Chilton since its founding. It's the best education in New England and I'll be damned that you ruin her education because you despise its Headmaster."

Rory sighed, "There you go. Tristan you've been back in my life for a total of forty-eight hours and already you're given input about Lani's future education?" She groaned, "We can't have a simply conversation without one of us going on the defensive. Besides like you said Chilton is eight or nine years away and Charleston should be retired by then. I'm just being irrational."

"I'm sorry for jumping the gun. I just want you to know that I really have changed since the last time we saw each other and I really want to be apart of Lani's life."

"Like I said in a previous conversation it'll have to take some time for you to be trusted."

Tristan nodded, "First step towards that is for me to tell you call Logan. I'm sure he is worried sick about you. I know I would have been back when we were dating. It took you five years to tell me that you went here to cool down and think. We've been friends our whole lives and I never knew."

Rory sighed, nodded her head and smiled, "I guess you're right. Lani must be as angry as ever too. I promised I would be coming home so she could see me at family dinner tonight."

Tristan stayed quiet for a moment. "It's not too late for you to head back home and keep that promise."

Rory rolled her eyes, "You have been gone way to long. Just because you were able to have a conversation with me which has resulted with neither of us storming out doesn't mean I'm ready to go home."

"Excuse me for believing that you were still more mature then me," Tristan spat. "I'll be leaving my parents have this obsession about me being home tonight." He lied. He wasn't about to say he was returning to the DuGrey Townhouse and planned on staying in the neighborhood to make sure she was alright.

"See you in the dorm when you get back," he then turned and walked out her bedroom. He saw Alicia standing out in the hall near the living room of the Hayden Townhouse smirking at him.

"You better not tail us too closely on the trip home," she murmured in his ear as he retreated to the front door.

"You know her safety is my number one concern Alicia," were his final words as he exited the front door.

**

* * *

**

Rory sighed. She was still sitting on her bed. Tristan had left over an hour ago. She was staring at her cell phone that she just turned on to find twenty new messages and all were from Logan. She grumbled not wanting to believe Tristan was right.

She had listened to all of Logan's messages and knew she had to call him. She highlighted his name on the phone's screen and pressed send, held the phone to her ear. She waited impatiently as the seconds ticked by.

"Hello," a female's voice answered the phone. She knew it wasn't Honor's voice or Stephanie's voice. "Who's there?"

"Where's Logan?" Rory spat.

"In the shower. Who's calling?"

"His fiancé. Who are you?"

There was a pause before she heard Logan's muffled voice growl angrily at the person who answered his phone. "Hello?"

"Funny how you leave twenty messages on my voicemail because you are so worried and then some skank answers your phone saying you're in the shower. What's going on Logan?"

"It's not what it seems."

Rory sighed, "Funny thing about having a woman answer your phone Logan. The situation is always what it seems."

"That was my cousin Autumn from my Dad's side of the family. She was passing my room when the phone rang," he said.

"It's funny how you never mentioned you had any cousin's on the Huntzberger Family side."

"I don't want to argue with you Rory. She's my cousin who rudely answered someone else's phone without permission and as soon as we're done talking I'm going to talk to her."

"I disappear and you run home, right? Because your cousin isn't in your own apartment, she'd have to be at Mitchum's place."

"Actually she's at my place. She's staying the weekend to look at Yale. She's a high school senior and Yale is the University my uncle is pressuring her to go."

Rory stopped the fight. She didn't want to fight right now. She just wanted to talk to her boyfriend and let him know she was fine. "Logan, I'm sorry for everything."

Logan chuckled. "Ace, you think I'd put up with you and your craziness if I didn't love you? Where are you? I've been scared shitless. Everyone I call either knows where you are and won't tell me or they have no clue completely."

Rory smiled knowing Logan knew he had just put one on her face. She paused to get her bearings straight before telling him where she was. "I'm in Boston at my Townhouse."

Logan stayed quiet for a few minutes. Tristan had gone to Boston too. Could his cousin have known Rory would have fled to Boston and used the keg party as a ploy to be near Rory? "Why Boston Rory? You were so angry that you have to travel five hundred miles to get away."

"First of all Boston isn't that far away it's less then four hundred miles and secondly you don't know the reason why I came here."

"You went there to think out the situation. You went there to try to solve out the problem Tristan created for us."

"It's not just that Logan," she paused to collect her thoughts. "I came because this is my safe haven. The one place I keep to myself or at least try to. You called everyone who knew about my hiding place and they all lied to you because they knew I would call you. They knew not to push me until I was ready to confront you."

"We've been able to talk through almost every trauma you've been through since we started dating. Why was this situation any different?"

"Tristan made it different. You know that. It wasn't about you two fighting. It was about me not ready to face my past and present at the same time."

"Did you always runaway when things got rough with Tristan," Logan asked. He didn't really want to know what her relationship with Tristan entailed but he wanted to know the truth to way she fled New Haven.

Rory laughed, "Yes, yes I did. Funny thing is. Tristan, Paris and I have known each other our whole lives. They just got use to it. I've always been a strategist. I would run, think, make lists, then decisions and comeback."

"I don't know why I haven't learned this about you before," Logan questioned. "I mean you taking off to Boston when things get rough."

"I've always compared my boyfriends to Tristan, Logan you have to understand that it took years for Tristan to figure out where I disappeared to. I didn't tell you about Boston because I wasn't ready. I would have told you eventually."

"Eventually? Like when we were married, got into an argument and disappeared for a couple days? Then I ask where've you been? Or eventually meaning Tristan pressured you to call me and tell me where you were?"

"How'd you know Tristan was in Boston," she asked shocked at this news.

"The cocky bastard said he was heading your way for a frat boy party. Now that I know you are in Boston, I know his alterative motives are."

"Jealousy doesn't suit you Logan."

"I can say the same for you with running away."

"I don't want to fight Logan."

"Well we can't always get what we want. I want my beautiful gorgeous girlfriend to be in her apartment in New Haven but she's in Boston. I want to have the hottest most passionate make-up sex we've ever had but you're in Boston. I wanted to take you somewhere special to celebrate our anniversary but you're…"

Rory smiled and rolled her eyes, "I know in Boston."

"When are you coming home," the seriousness shined through his voice and Rory desperately wanted to say 'tonight' but knew that wouldn't be true.

"Tomorrow night, Monday afternoon at the latest. I have a few things I need to sort out first," Rory explained.

"You know I'm always here for you Rory."

"I know you are. It's just I have to solve this problem on my own right now."

"You know your daughter is fuming right now? Don't you? I'm getting calls from her left and right. Something about you breaking a very important promise and not being able to see Uncle Finn."

Rory sighed. "If you're telling me I'm a horrible mother, then thank you. You're not the first one to point, that, out to me."

"I'm not saying anything like that. I'm just saying Lani is furious."

**

* * *

**

* * *

**Part XI**

Lorelei Lei-Lani Gilmore IV- Hayden II Dugrey was furious. She was sitting in her great grandparents home dressed neatly in a gown of their choosing and her mother was nowhere to be in sight. Her Aunt Gigi and Uncle Dre were fighting constantly getting the attention of both her grandparents.

Papa Dugrey and Mimi were sitting across from her staring sadly in her direction. Papa Janlan and Grandmamma Dugrey were sitting next to Papa Dugrey and Mimi glaring at the couple. Grandpa Richard was keeping Grandma Emily occupy with some senseless chatter. All she wanted to do was go home and wallow in her room.

"So Lani, how is school coming along for you," Papa (Russell) Dugrey asked his granddaughter. Lani didn't answer; she just sat quietly, using her fork to move her food around her plate.

"Lorelei Lei-Lani Dugrey, you answer Papa Dugrey," Grandma Emily scolded her.

Lani sighed. Nana usually tried to keep the conversation between her and Grandma Emily non-existent, at times like these when Nana was busy with her Aunt and Uncle Lani had to fend for herself, "Why does it matter? Mommy's not here and I don't feel like talking," she mumbled.

Nana took a moment away from trying to calm Aunt Gigi and Uncle Dre down to look at Lani, "We understand that you're upset doll face but you should at least answer your grandfather respectfully," she whispered in her ear.

Lani sighed again and looked at Papa Dugrey, "I'm sorry Papa. School is wonderful. I'm glad to be back and able to play with my friends."

Russell looked at his granddaughter. It seemed to him that she knew the reason to her mother's disappearance and suddenly became furious for his son's hastened return to Connecticut. "I accept darling. I'm sorry you're so upset about Mommy not being here for dinner tonight. I'm sure she'll be back before you know."

Lani rolled her eyes, "Not if Daddy stays around. She'll never come back." She finished eating her dinner, stood up, "Grams may I please be excused," she asked Grandma Emily.

Emily not one to allow rudeness to be awarded almost thought about not excusing Lani from the table. "Yes dear. Why don't you run along and play with your Aunt and Uncle. I think they are in the garden. Am I right Lorelei?"

"Yes, Mom you're right. Run along kiddo." Lorelei ordered.

The table full of the Haydens', Gilmores', Dugreys' elders sat in silence until they all thought for sure the youngest of their family was out of the house.

"How does she know about Tristan," Sharon asked distressed about the young heiress' knowledge.

"She heard Mom and I talking over the phone about why Rory wouldn't be hear tonight."

"I checked with the Board of Trustees at Yale at it seems Tristan has transferred there. It also seems that he is also Rory's dorm mate." Richard addressed the table.

"I checked with the Brigade and they said he also put in for a transfer to the Yale Charter," Russell added.

"All of our hard work down the drain," fumed Janlan. "I love that boy but still, he makes irrational decisions that complicates many lives. He doesn't understand about actions and consequences."

"Just yesterday while Richard and Emily were sitting with us for Tea, Logan called asking if I had any idea where Rory had gone after, of course, he had asked for Emily and Richard's phone number. He was certainly trying to cover all his bases. He knew Lorelei and Christopher wouldn't supply him anything. When I asked why then he told me that he was dating Rory. I was shocked to say the least."

"It's such a scandal now." Emily crowed. "I can't believe I didn't realize the similarities sooner or how I could have forgotten how the Huntzbergers were related to you. My great granddaughter's future step-father her own second cousin," She exclaimed.

Janlan agreed with Emily's sentiment. "Come to think of it. It was underhanded how Tristan decided to comeback He's without a doubt in Boston right now, just to be near Rory."

"I'm quite surprised it took him this long to defy us," Sherilyn Dugrey spoke of her grandson. "Those two were always inseparable when they were younger."

"Let's just hope he has a clear head on his shoulders and Rory comes to her senses. We can't have our grandchild and great grandchild's new father be her second cousin," Emily added.

Lorelei and Chris as well as Russell and Sharon stayed quiet through their parents' tangents. All were shaking their heads at the situation which had just risen by their own children. _Please God help us all_ was the same collective thought of the four.


	4. Authors Note

**Author's Note: **

I know it's been awhile, more like a year and almost two months. I'm sorry. I just hit a huge mountainous cement writer's block for this story and also in that year I was sick for a few months.

I'm a preschool teacher so when the kids get sick I eventually get sick and let me tell you there were several viruses going on out there. I even had bronchitis for about a month before being diagnosed.

Anyway, I'm 100 percent better and I've finally finished a chapter for you. It's shorter then normal but it gets into more depth about Rory and Tristan. Sorry for the lack of TRORY action too. I promise that will come soon.


	5. Parts XII to XIV

**Part XII**

Rory returned to New Haven two days later, she had to find Logan and find out if he was telling the truth about the woman answering his phone being his cousin.

Tristan had followed behind Alicia and Rory making sure no harm came to the love of his life. He wasn't thrilled about her relationship with his cousin but he wasn't going to meddle in her life anymore at the moment.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

It was late when she arrived at Logan's apartment building. She couldn't anticipate what was behind that door when she came upon his floor. All her worst fears came to her before putting her key into his door.

The living room was dark when she stepped through the door. It wasn't common to see the living room immersed in darkness at this time of night because usually Logan and their friends were up drinking or playing cards. However on a rare occasion she would come to his apartment to see the living room immersed in darkness and find Logan in his study doing some sort of paperwork.

She could faintly see a figure sleeping on the couch and shrugged it off. She walked quietly through the living room and into the hallway leading to the bedroom. She smiled when she saw light trying to escape out from under the door. She hurried her steps and opened the door quietly to see Logan reading a book on his bed.

Logan looked up and smiled when he saw Rory standing in his bedroom door way. He put his book on the nightstand next to his bed and rose from the bed walking towards her. He enveloped her in his arms and kissed her softly on her left temple. "I'm so glad you're back I missed you so much."

Rory took a moment to take in the glory of being in his arms before looking up at him. "It's good to be back. So that person sleeping on your couch? That is Autumn?"

Logan gave a small smile and nodded, "Yes that would be her. She's going home in the morning. She had her freshman orientation today. She'll be starting next fall."

Rory nodded then gently disengaged herself from his arms. Then she walked over to the edge of his bed and sat down. She saw Logan take the hint and sit next to her on the bed. "I'll really sorry. I know I really haven't been the best girlfriend since Tristan came into our lives and I'm going to make an effort to change all that."

"I think you're missing one more person in your equation," Logan pressed.

Rory smiled. It was amazing how he could be concerned about Lani as well. The two years they had been together he did a complete one-eighty degree turn from when they first met. He had reminded her of Tristan in high school and thought it be a good change to have a no strings relationship. The more she had gotten to know him the more feelings she developed. "I have a lot of apologizing to Lani to do and she needs to meet her father."

"She has a father," Logan stated firmly. "She has me. She doesn't need Tristan in her life now."

Rory put her hand on his cheek and caressed it, "I know you love her like your own Logan but we have to face facts. Tristan's back and let's face it he's not too happy about our situation. If I deny him any more access to Lani, he could possibly sue me for custody. He could probably win too, then he could make it so neither you or I could visit her."

"Why don't we let Lani decide for herself whether or not she wants to meet him then. I'm not about to lose you both to him, I don't think I would be able to live with it."

Rory leaned into him and kissed him on the lips. "You're the smartest man in the world sometimes when you want to be. I don't understand why you want to play airhead playboy all the time." She said with a smirk.

"How else would I be able to stand Finn, Colin and Steph, if I don't play airhead," he teased, "besides I pull that so my father can say I'm the family screw up. Although Tristan claimed that title years ago," he snapped defiantly.

Rory had felt the urge to slap him for that comment. Despite not knowing if Tristan's return had any alterative motives, she knew that he didn't deserve any member of his family trash talking him. "It's been a long day, I'm tired and I don't need you trying to tarnish Tristan's already fragile image right now. I came here tonight to apologize to you for jumping to conclusions and once again Tristan has become the primary topic. I'd much rather be kissing you and having mad hot make-up sex right now," she smirked.

The next day saw Rory walking into her family home around the middle of the day. After having made up with Logan all night, it was time to face her little girl. Her little girl meant the world to her despite how she appeared to neglect her daughter.

The second she walked into the door she saw her sister and brother arguing over watching some television show. "Why don't the two of you put in Willy Wonka? Save everyone a headache from your tantrums." She stated announcing her arrival.

Dre and Gigi glared at their older sister. "You're in for it now," Gigi said in a rather menacing voice. "Mom and Dad haven't been able to get Lani out of her room since Friday Night Dinner."

Rory looked at her sister in disbelief, "Exactly who do you think you're talking to Ms. Hayden? I had some issues to deal with and now I'm here. You're lucky I haven't told our parents you're watching t.v. while being grounded."

Gigi's eyes widened at Rory knowing both she and Dre were grounded. "I talked to Mom on the way home from Boston," Rory said using her disbelieving mother's face and shrug. "She told me all about how you two acted before dinner. Now I need to go see how your niece is doing." She finished and walked away before Gigi or Dre attempted to Sass her again.

She walked down the hall to her old bedroom located just before the kitchen. She saw the bedroom door closed and sighed knowing it probably was locked. She wrapped her hand gently on the door. "Lani, its Mommy open up sweetie," She heard some rustling and the sounds of someone unlocking a door. She sighed when she saw her daughter look up at her.

"You missed the Papa Dugreys," Lani grumbled.

Rory gave a sad smile while running her fingers through Lani's hair. "I know sweetie and I'm sorry. I have a lot of apologizing to do. How about we go to an amusement park right now? We can talk about how I haven't been such a good mommy lately and what do you think about possibly meeting your Daddy."

Lani pressed her lips firmly together while twitching them side to side, thinking about her mother's offer.

"I don't know. You lied to me. What if you're lying now?" Lani asked. Rory couldn't blame the child for being apprehensive. It wasn't like she had anything to believe. She didn't want to get hurt and lately that was all Rory had been doing…hurting her daughter.

"I'm not lying." Rory smiled down at the little girl who looked so much like her father every time Rory sees her, "Just you and me today, I 'm not going anywhere just yet. So get changed. I'm calling Grams and Grandpa, to let them know, you and I are going to spend the day together."

After a quick five minute telephone chat with Lorelei, Rory and Lani straddled themselves into Rory's sedan. They drove in peace for about twenty minutes before Lani's jitters got the best of her.

"What's Daddy like?" The innocent question startled Rory as they were now driving steadily on the highway to Massachusetts to go to Six Flags New England. Rory had thought her daughter might have just stayed silent the whole trip, because Lani tended to be very distrusting to people around her, especially after being lied to.

Rory smiled while thinking about how to describe Tristan to Lani and concentrating on staying on the rode. "Well, Your Daddy looks almost like Logan. Mimi and Logan's Mom Shira are sisters. Daddy…well…he can be a jokester at times. One time he and a few of his friends decided to take a car apart and reassembled it in a hallway at school."

_Tristan, Duncan, and Bowman all chuckled quietly in the back of Medina's class. None of them were paying attention to class and hearing Tristan's chuckle alone always caused Rory to be distracted. She turned in her sit and glared at her boyfriend. _

_When the bell rang Rory waited outside the classroom door for Tristan, who didn't walk up and pick up her books like his usually does. They usually always walked to class together along with Maddy, Louise, Paris and a few others. Tristan came walking out the door still chuckling with Duncan and Bowman irking Rory more._

_Duncan and Bowman had a reputation for getting suspended for every thing they did. She didn't want Tristan hanging out with the two ignorant teen boys. _

"_What's so funny Tris," Rory asked the second she felt his arm around the back of her neck, "and why are you laughing with those two buffoons?"_

_Tristan couldn't wipe the smile off his face. "Last night the three of us disassembled Charleston's car and reassembled it in the administration building's lobby."_

_Her eyes widened at the news that would probably tarnish his academic record. She slipped out of his grasp, turn to face him and punched him in the chest. "You stupid idiot. Why would you do that? When he finds out it was you who helped these two idiots you're going to be suspended. You'll end up in military school. I can't believe this."_

_She stormed off not wanting to see Tristan get caught by Charleston._

"He's smart too. He, Auntie Paris and I all had the highest marks in our graduating class. He's a great athlete. He was Captain of Chilton's basketball, football, soccer and lacrosse teams before he got sent away. You get your athletic ability from him. Gilmores are not athletes it's against the rules but you're a Dugrey too and I think Daddy would be happy if he knew you love sports just as much as he does."

"He's also a very sweet man. You're Daddy always went out of the way to help anyone. Even if they didn't deserve the help," she tried not to force any negativity into that last phrase, thinking about all the times Tristan helped out the two morons who didn't really have a brain to help the two of them out. "He never allowed anyone to hurt his friends in anyway," she smiled looking at her daughter, "like you. You get your strong backbone from him and your sharp tongue from me and Nana."

_The vision of Louise running from the cafeteria and tears shattered the happy feeling surrounding the A-List's table at Chilton. Blade Brothers had strutted up to their table with his face looking a very dark maroon. He slammed his hands down on the table so hard the sound resonated throughout the large room. All talking in the cafeteria stopped and all heads turned to the center most tables in the cafeteria were the Chilton Elite always sat. _

"_Where does a skank like you get off telling the whole girl population of school that I'm built exactly like a Ken doll with no package? Maybe I should tell every guy in school that you're a tease and you can't even get a guy aroused long enough to finish the job." Blade's voice boomed. "That's right folks. Chilton's best sex guru can't help a guy up. In fact she was the worst lay ever. I guess that's great and all because who the hell knows how many STDs she's harvesting in that body of hers. We wouldn't want to die at an early age just by sleeping with Louise Grant." He leaned over the table, raised one of his hands off the table and slapped Louise as hard as he could across the cheekbone._

_The sounds of angry cries were heard as other classmates shouted at Blade for his caustic remarks to one of Chilton's Elite. Tristan was probably the loudest voices out of all his peers. He leaped onto the table and charged after Blade for harming Louise. "You Bastard. You want to see what humiliation is. I hope you get blacklisted from every school within a one hundred mile radius of Hartford." Tristan slammed one of his fists into the intruder's face breaking his nose. He smiled at the damage he caused not caring if he too was going to be expelled._

_Paris, Madeline and Rory had chased after Louise who was holding her cheek with both hands, crying in pain and running as if her life depended on it. Back in the cafeteria Rory and Paris thought they had heard a bone crack in Louise's face. _

_Once the three best friends caught up to their distressed friend they wrapped her in a group hug and whispered to her until she calmed down. Then Rory convinced her to let them take her to the nurse to get the cheek checked out._

"Aunt Louise was hit in the face by a boy. Daddy actually hurt that boy for hurting Aunt Louise. The boy had hit Auntie Louise so hard in the cheek, he had broken her cheekbone. That boy was expelled and Daddy got suspended. Violence is never answer Lani remember that."

"I will Mommy."

Part XIII

Tristan walked into the foyer of the Dugrey Mansion. He shook his head. This was the last place he wanted to ever step foot in again. He's father had called him stating the need for a family meeting. All Tristan wanted to do was go back to the dorm and fall asleep.

"Master Tristan," a butler greeted him. The butler was new and Tristan supposed his mother fired all the old staff the second he had been shipped to Military school. "You're parents are in the Parlor expecting you."

Tristan just smiled and nodded, following the butler to the parlor. Tristan stiffened his back when he saw his parents, grandparents, Aunt Shira, Uncle Mitchum, and Logan.

"Wow this is going to be a great family reunion," he muttered to himself. He stood in the doorway not wanting to move from the spot. He needed an escape route; the door way seemed perfectly logically.

Russell looked at his son trying to determine how long it would take for Tristan to bolt. He knew that family right now wasn't high on Tristan's list at this stage in his life. Russell wouldn't blame him for trying to leave right now. After all it had been six years since Tristan was sent away and he didn't return. Russell expected that his son was going to rebel for the rest of his life and never make contact with the Dugreys again. Despite their reasoning, Tristan would only think that his family destroyed his trust.

"Tristan," he greeted his son with a nod.

Tristan stood emotionless looking at his family. He noticed his grandparents weren't around which meant chaos wouldn't in sue any moment. "Russell," he greeted as a somewhat familiar acquaintance.

His mother gasped at the rudeness he was displaying but forgave him only because she could only imagine how this meeting was panning out in her son's mind. She sat up straight on the couch wanting desperately to hug her son but once again had to remind herself he wasn't here with intensions of a positive visit.

"Have a seat son," Russell addressed his son again while pointing to a vacant chair in the room.

Tristan stood motionless once again, "I prefer to stand. I can't stay long. I need to head back to the dorm and study for an exam."

He heard a distinct muffled laugh and glared in Logan's direction. He wouldn't lower to his older cousin's mentality. He stood firm in his place as if to say to all the other relatives in the room that he wasn't going anywhere away from Hartford anytime soon.

"You've transferred to Yale son," Russell announced. "Why is that?"

"Their architectural program is more acclaimed than Princeton's," Tristan answered with a nonchalant shrug. "And the best firms are here in Connecticut and New York. Thought I'd get an early start looking for internships. I plan on branching out to my own firm in about four years."

Sharon and Shira looked at each other. The look a like sister's could tell Tristan was trying to bottle up more then he was letting on. "So this has nothing to do with Rory or Lani?" Sharon asked with a quizzical arched brow and her head tilted at her son.

Tristan rubbed his chin and shook his head, "Everything I usually do revolves around Rory. You all know that. If this little intervention is a ploy to somehow convince me to change my mind and reapply to Princeton, then you're all off your rockers. Paying for Princeton was a great manipulative trick to keep me from making amends with Rory but I assure you. I'm an adult now. I make my own decisions and I'm going to see to it that Rory and I get a second chance. For once I want to look my daughter in the eye and say 'Hey, I'm your Daddy' and I don't care if you like it or not. I love Rory. I have since I was in diapers and I'm going to keep loving her until I have no breath in me."

"Then your ignorance is far bigger than you realize. I'm not letting her go without a fight little brother," Logan challenged, standing up from his sit and stalking towards Tristan who was still standing near the door way.

"I did my research Logan. I know that you stole a yacht with her. You got off and she was slammed with community service," Tristan smirked. "Not to mention dear old Uncle Mitch did his damnedest to squash her dreams of being a journalist during her internship at one of his papers. You actually just recently started back up dating." He looked at his Uncle, "By the way. Nice try you old fool. You nearly broke a young woman's spirit because you thought she was scandalous. Too bad she can date her ancestors back to royalty and you can only date yours back to the frigging Mayflower. Just because she uses her mother's maiden name, you thought her unworthy to be your socialite son's trophy wife. Isn't that grand, Christopher and Lorelei have been married since they found out Lorelei was pregnant. How about them apples? Didn't do enough research Uncle Mitch. You nearly broke not just a Gilmore but a Hayden as well. I'm sure Straub would love to know your basically slandered his grand daughter."

All mouths dropped. This certainly wasn't the same Tristan they sent away almost seven years ago. This was a revengeful young man who knew their weaknesses.

Not letting anyone, get a moment to think of remarks to him he continued you, "Military school taught me to cover all my bases and stand up to the face of my enemy. If you think I'm going to let any of you ruin my life again, then you're sadly mistaken. Now if you'll excuse me I have textbooks calling my name and a degree to finish out."

Tristan leaned off the door jam, walked into the foyer and out to the front door. Hoping against hope that it would probably be the only visit he was obligated to until a major holiday.

Part XIV

Rory and Lani after finishing their conversation drove into Hartford to go shopping instead of going to an amusement park. The idea had been Lani's and Rory was more than happy to oblige her daughter. She just hoped she didn't run into any Dugreys, Haydens or Gilmores. She didn't want any lectures about running away and shirking her responsibilities as a mother and a student.

"Now what are my two favorite Gilmore Girls doing in the Hartford Mall at this time of day," an Australian Accent greeted mother and daughter as they were perusing the halls to find a store to enjoy.

Lani turned around and gave a wide smile to the man, "Uncle Finn!" She screeched loudly causing several onlookers to stop what they are doing.

"Hello Love." Finn chuckled and picked the young girl up in his arms, then looked to Rory, "So I hear things have been shaken up a bit since I last saw you both."

Rory smiled at her friend and couldn't help to go over and hug the eccentric young man. "Yes it certainly has been a stay on your toes week. Are you following us?" She asked skeptically. Finn wasn't known for shopping in Connecticut. He usually tried to exhaust his family's money and fly all over the continent and globe.

"I should be asking you that question. Since when do you and Lani do anything together in Hartford, Love," Finn asked with a quizzically arched eyebrow.

Rory chuckled. "I was taking Lani to an amusement park but she wanted to come here instead. How could I refuse such a gorgeous face," she said ruffling her daughter's hair. "We were just talking about her Daddy returning home. It's been the only topic for about the past week."

Finn's eyes widened. He knew that both of the young ladies lives had been turned upside down but Logan hadn't really told him how it had been flipped. "Wow, Logan said you had a new room mate not that your ex-boyfriend came back to town."

Rory's face burned crimson, "Yeah, I did get a new room mate…Lani's father," she murmured hoping her overly bright daughter would catch on.

Finn's eyebrows arched up, "You mean TJ is your new room mate?" He leaned into Rory and whispered in her ear catching on that Rory didn't need to have her daughter have false hope at her Daddy and Mommy being together.

Rory nodded. She held out her arms to Lani signaling to come down from Uncle Finn's arms.

Lani heard every word Mommy and Uncle Finn said but knew they didn't want her to, so she was going to pretend she didn't hear it but she was slightly excited that her parents were living together.

"Mommy, I'm hungry, Uncle Finn buy us pizza please?" She asked as she widened her eyes to make a baby doll eye effect.

Never one to resist a Lorelei Gilmore's wounded puppy eyes, Finn, sighed, smiled, then nodded his head, "Fine but I'm ordering peppers, onions, and broccoli on it." He said seriously.

"You're not sober!" exclaimed Rory, "You'd have to be drunk to suggest such a thing."

Finn pretended to think about it, "Nope, I still can't find my beloved elixir of life since the last time you were over at the apartment. Consider this payback Love and besides I'm ordering greens because it's the only time this girl actually gets a nutritious meal."

"Yuck, Uncle Finny, I'm allergic to veggies," Lani said in a five year olds serious voice. Finn laughed at Lani's attempts. It was the same battle every time he was sober. "You're just a mean as Papa Luke. I can't have coffee and now my favorite Uncle is forcing me to eat the most poisonous food ever," Lani said in an overly dramatic state.

Finn had a hard time keeping his eyes narrowed at Lani's reaction to the pizza threat but he was going to stick to his guns. "Let's go my beautiful Gilmores, Veggie Pizza waits," He cackled like an evil scientist.

"Finn, you're starting to scare me. How many times have I told you, Frankenstein isn't a bedtime story," Rory said seriously. "You've almost have that laugh perfected and to be quite honest that's really disturbing."

Finn just shrugged and pointed in the direction of a Pizza Hut booth in the food court.


	6. Parts XV to XVII

**Author's Note: I had a reviewer asking me to re-clarify Lani's age**

**Author's Note: I had a reviewer asking me to re-clarify Lani's age. Lani is six years old. Her conversation with Fin over pizza was her complaining like a five year old hence the "serious five year old" voice. Thank you for bringing that concern up though.**

**Also I'm so very sorry about the long hiatus. My muse decided to take a long vacation and just decided to return recently.**

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**Part XV**

Lani was happily chewing on her pizza that Finn ordered, despite threatening the two Gilmores with vegetable pizza, they were actually munching on hamburger, pepperoni, charico, sausage, and ham pizza.

"Have you heard from Emily Gilmore yet," Finn asked Rory in between slices. He knew the eldest Gilmore woman wouldn't allow Rory to escape any situation as large as Tristan or Friday Night Dinner unscathed.

Rory looked up at her friend and smirked, "Believe it or not Emily Gilmore has graced me with a reprieve from her nagging. Grandma hasn't called me yet which I am grateful for, although I know the next time I see her, she'll run my ear off with how disrespectful I was to run off and leave without so much as correctly and politely declining dinner with my whole family." She ended her rambling with the roll of her eyes.

"How you haven't ended up like our dear Madeline and Louise is beyond me. I'm surprised you haven't rebelled like the rest of us. Your parents are enough to drive any normal person insane and then you have your overbearing grandmother dictating your extracurricular activities." Finn laughed. He drinks a swallow of cola while he waited for his friend's reaction.

"What makes you think I haven't rebelled? Finn nobody's perfect especially me. Did you know I dated a townie back in high school after Tristan left?"

Finn's eyes widened. He and Rory were probably the closest of the entire LDB members circle. They usually shared everything. "Ya right I really can see you dating a townie. Rory come on. I know you haven't really been brought up appropriately for society but Lorelei Gilmore wouldn't have let you date a townie."

Rory nodded her head, "I did. His name was Dean Forrester and he worked for Taylor in Doose's Market in Stars Hollow. He had moved there from Chicago and was going to Stars Hollow High. I spent my afternoons with him after getting home from Chilton. He's the reason why I didn't go to Senior Prom. I went to Stars Hollow High's Senior Prom instead."

"The tall kid with floppy hair," Finn asked while he tried to remember what the outsider of Stars Hollow who worked in the small grocery store. "Ya, now I see it. You're grandmother must have gone stark raving mad when she found out you were dating him."

Rory shrugged while taking another bite of pizza, she looked down at her daughter and gave a sad smile. "Grandma didn't really find out. The only people outside my immediate family who knew were Maddie, Louise and Paris, besides the relationship didn't last long. I took him home for dinner one night. This little rug rat here," she said ruffling Lani's hair, "was running a fever. She was teething or she actually had the flu, I can't remember. I do know she was still a baby in my eyes. She was saying Mama. I ran to her and started soothing her cries," she said reminiscing about a part of her life she never really liked sharing.

"He said, "Wow, it's so nice of you to help your mother out with your sister." I knew then there was going to be trouble. I usually never told anyone about Lani. I told him. "I'm not helping my mother out. She's calling for me." I brought Lani into my arms and started bouncing her and she calmed down right away. He didn't know what to say. I could see it in his eyes. He stood staring at me for what seemed like an hour; by the time he finally got the nerve to talk again Lani was sleeping soundly in my arms. He asked me if what I said about Lani calling for me was true and I told him yes. Lani was my daughter. He point blank said it's over and bolted out the door."

She stopped to look at Lani with a confused look on her face but knowing interrupting was impolite. "It saved me for introducing him to Grandma and the utter humiliation she no doubt would have flung at me. That's why I don't let Emily Gilmore know too much about my social life. I'm afraid she'll devour the poor guys who date me."

"It's a good thing too," Finn said, "I mean that he broke off the relationship."

"Hold that thought Finn," Rory stated while looking at Lani. "Hey Sweetie, would you like to play some of those video games over there?" She asked pointing to the arcade corner of the food court she didn't want Lani hearing anymore of their conversation.

When Lani smiled and said sure. Rory gave her a twenty dollar bill. It was only when Lani was safely in the video arcade of the food court that Rory returned her attention to Finn.

"No teenager wants to be strapped into a relationship with another dude's child." Finn said once he saw that Rory was paying attention to him again.

Rory laughed at her friend's logic. "Finn you don't think I knew that? Why do you think I kept Lani from him? It doesn't matter though. Dean met Lindsay the week after and was married five months later, apparently he got her pregnant."

"So he ran out of your relationship because you were a teen mother, then he met a girl knocked her up and married her anyway. That's low." Finn grumbled.

Rory held a giggle from coming out. "Finn you've bedded more girls then there are in Yale combined and that's before you even graduated high school, how many of them did you get pregnant," she asked with wide eyes.

Finn shrugged, "I don't know. I'm sure a few of them might have gotten knocked up but once I give into my sexual needs, I make sure they know it's only temporary. I made sure they understood I wasn't going to be their boyfriend."

Rory shook her head, "It's amazing how you can just find a girl make her feel special and then find another. Don't you ever feel like you're missing something? I mean Logan finally realized promiscuity isn't the way to live and so has Colin. Finn I love you but its time to realize that you're going to have to take control of Rothschild Industries and you're going to have to marry sooner or later."

"That's easy for you to say. You've got two blond spoiled egotistical, rich wild child men after you. Tell me when are you going to decide which one you want?"

Rory groaned leave it to a sober Finn to make her realize she's leading two stubborn womanizing men on. "Finn, I'm sorry I didn't mean it. I know you're looking for the one girl you want to spend the rest of you life with and I just made you sound like a heartless bastard. As for Tristan and Logan, I don't know what to do but I do know that if they keep being macho jerks I won't be with either of them despite my feelings for them both."

Finn looked from side to side then leaned across the table so their heads were almost touching. "I'd better make my decision before LDB's pairing off weekend, if I was you."

Rory's eyes widened, "Oh no that's coming up soon too. I forgot about that, the theme this year is co-ed partnering for a murder mystery." She slammed her head down on the table and repeatedly beat her forehead against the hard surface.

The pairing off weekend was one of the biggest social gatherings the LDB had and you usually were partnered with your crush or significant other. They usually took turns of which gender picked partners. This year it was the women's turn. "Whoever I pick the other one is going to get angry."

Finn patted one of her hands and smiled, "You always end up doing the right thing Rory. Just follow your heart the women in your family are known not to do what our society expects of them," he reasoned.

"The right thing for me won't be the right thing for one of them. Tell me Finn how do you determine which person's heart to break?" She got up, picked up the tray of trash in front of her, and started walking to a trash receptacle. She walked back to the table and Finn gave her a hug.

"If they really love you Rory, they'll want you to be happy despite how they feel about one another." He cleared his throat and shook off the cheesy chick advice, "I'll deny I ever said such a thing if you so much as tell anyone I went soft on you and gave you chick advice."

Rory laughed and hugged Finn, "Everyone knows you're a softy Finn. You just are usually too drunk to care."

He laughed too then turned serious, "Where is my beloved elixir of life hidden," he glared at her.

"The compartment on the back of the toilet in your master suit," She smiled angelically. "You're money as well," she cackled as she fast walked to collect her daughter from the gaming area.

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**Part XVI**

Paris was watching CSPAN when Tristan walked into the dorm room. He sat down next to her on the couch, crossing his feet and resting them on the coffee table. "So how was Boston," she greeted knowingly, not taking her eyes off the political debate taking place on the television.

Tristan sighed, although Paris was usually completely clueless about the social side of life she did have her moments. "Hmm," he began to think while resting his head on the back of the couch, looking up to the ceiling, "I snuck into the townhouse and didn't get kicked out. We had a civil conversation and I conceded in the fight to win her back temporarily."

"I take it you just had a run in with your family," she said now looking at her childhood best friend. He looked bone wary, he usually only looked like that when he had an encounter with his family.

"The second I reached the Connecticut state border my phone went off. Grandpa stated I was to make my presence known and it wasn't a choice, like all of my decisions for the past six years weren't made up for me already," he stated sarcastically. "I get to the manor to find the staff were all new, my aunt, uncle, mom, dad and Logan were sitting in the receiving lounge. My grandparents were there for all of five seconds then disappeared although I didn't let on that I noticed."

"So what was said," Paris asked. Having Russell and Mitchum in the same room was like having to face Christopher by himself when he was angry. If she could have guessed, she would have assumed that Tristan stayed as close to the exit as possible.

"I let them know how I really felt about Rory and how I felt about being shipped off to No Man's Land. I didn't let them tell me anything. I was so pissed at having to be summoned like common vermin to my childhood home. If I ever see that place again, it'll be too soon."

Paris got up, walked to the fridge and grabbed a beer, popping the cover off. She walked back to the couch handing him the beer. "Campus rules say no alcohol on school property. I had to smuggle this in. I knew you would need one after the extended weekend you had."

He smirked, leave to rule stickler Paris to still know him like a book, "Thanks."

Paris shrugged, "Don't thank me. If Rory weren't so messed up with your return right now and you had still been on excellent speaking terms she would have done the same thing."

"What makes you so sure she would," he asked wanting more of a clarification.

"You tell me. You know her or I mean knew her better then the rest of us. You guys had this unspeakable connection. You just knew what each other thought and then you had to go and mess everything up."

"I've been paying for that mistake for six years now Paris," Tristan sighed. He placed the beer on the coffee table, sat up, spread his thighs apart, clasped his hands together and let them hang between his thighs. "I've tried to make amends. I know when I started trying she wouldn't forgive me right away but I started trying anyway."

The two old friends sat quietly in the room for a few minutes before Tristan spoke up again, "I'm not that shallow, shelf-absorbed jerk I was six years ago. I haven't dated anyone since I got shipped off and that includes sleeping around. I promised myself the next time I saw Rory, she would meet the Tristan she fell in love with again. I guess I've come back too late."

The door to the lounge opened before either one could speak up again. They looked up to see it was Rory and she had a little girl with her along with someone Tristan was vaguely familiar with.

Lani ran up and hugged Paris. "Auntie Paris, Uncle Finn, threatened to feed me vegetable pizza and apple juice," she said looking up at her Aunt and pointing at the man.

Paris widened her eyes feigning disbelief. "We can't allow that to happen. We wouldn't want you to become smarter then Albert Einstein. What were you thinking Finnegan?" She walked into the kitchen escorting Lani with her. She lifted Lani up onto the counter top. From there Lani stood up on the countertop and walked to the cupboard to take out a coffee cup. She handed the coffee cup to Paris. Paris filled it with coffee and passed it back to Lani who had jumped down to the floor. Lani had ventured over to the dining table that was holding the creamer and sugar her mother usually put into the coffee. She started adding the sugar and creamer, then started drinking the hot liquid.

Finn groaned. It was a rarity that he saw Paris giving into the whims Lani desired. He still couldn't believe the six year old could drink as much coffee as Rory and Lorelei.

Tristan stared at the scene before him as he saw Rory going through the same motions as her daughter and sitting down at the table with the younger girl. "I can't believe you. You actually allow her to drink coffee?" He asked.

Rory looked up at him startle to see him in the room. Lani sensing this was an important time looked up at her mom and the man sitting in her mom and aunt's apartment lounge. Lani studied the man carefully and noticed familiar facial traits. She assumed this was her Dad.

"Tristan," Rory paused. "I heard you were supposedly at your parents' house. I didn't think you'd be here yet," she looked to Paris and Finn for support. She saw her two friends try to look anywhere but the three others in the room.

"Mom," Lani interrupted what she thought was going to be one of her mother's rambling moments. "Who's he?" It was a redundant question but she wanted to hear it for herself.

"Lani, This is Tristan Dugrey. You're Dad," Rory said after a long pause. She and the rest of the young adults in the room watched the little girl's reaction to her mother's admission.

Lani didn't say anything back. She walked up to Tristan and hugged him, "You will call me Lorelei Gilmore IV-Hayden II," she said seriously. "Calling me Lani is reserved to people I know and trust." Glaring at her father, she smirked at him, "Coffee is the only beverage in the world worth drinking, especially Pop Luke's coffee. His coffee is the best coffee in the world. You have a problem with that take it up with your shrink because it isn't Mom's problem or mine. It's yours."

The four young adults stared silently at the six year old. Three of them knew Lani usually wasn't this straight forward or rude. One of them was thinking about how the little girl in front of him looked almost like him complete with the smirk. He didn't care that the little sprite in front of him was behaving out of line he was just mesmerized by her. "You are so much similar to your Mom. It's freakishly weird how I'm not concerned that you were extremely out of line with your greeting," he smirked back at his daughter.

Paris and Rory looked at each other. This father/daughter meeting was definitely not one you would see in record books. Finn looked over at his childhood friend and his friend's daughter. 'Leave it to Tristan to don't care a hoot about manners,' he mentally mused.

Lani crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes at the comment. "Yeah, so? I have better manners then you. I don't sneak into a home in the dead of night like some thief on a bounty hunt."

"Lorelei Lei-Lani Gilmore, you hold your tongue," a sophisticated voice called from the lounge's entry way.

Rory and Lani groaned at the new voice and both turned away from Tristan to see a very steamed Emily Gilmore dressed in a power skirt suit, standing next to one passively quiet Richard Gilmore in his business suit.

Finn and Paris looked at each other in the eyes giving a silent signal to escape before Emily went into one of her famous tantrums. Both nodded and started tip toeing backwards to Paris' bedroom to get out of the range of fire.

Rory looked from her grandmother to her retreating friends, "cowards." She whispered giving them an angry snarl and beckoning tilt of the head. She distinctly heard a soft chuckling coming from next to her on the couch. She pinned a shut up look his way and awaited her grandmother's admonishment.

"Rory, it's so nice of you to inform us that you have returned home. I believe you owe us, your Hayden Grandparents, and The Dugreys apologies for rudely uninviting your self to this weekend's Friday night dinner." Without waiting for Rory to answer she looked to the chuckling Dugrey Man sitting on the couch, "Oh isn't it just great Richard Darling. Tristan Dugrey has finally decided to resurface from parts unknown. Hopefully we can retrieve all the back child support he must owe our dear Rory," she challenged Tristan with an arched eyebrow. "My sweet sweet Lani. I thought Grandpa and I taught you better than that. We never introduce our selves the way you just introduced yourself to your father."

Lani looked at her great-grandmother and gave a rebellious snarl. "He may be my Father but he's not my Daddy. I don't have to like him if I don't want to."

Although the comment shook him, Tristan couldn't blame the six year old. If she was anything like Rory, she was highly suspicious of people's intentions. Like everything else in his plan to win Rory back, gaining his daughter's trust was going to take time too.

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**Part XVII**

Lani tucked away into Rory's bed and asleep, Rory took the opportunity to talk to Tristan. The two were sitting on their lounge's sofa and silence surrounding them. Finn and Paris took the sign and took Cameron out to the pub. Both knew that Rory wouldn't want to go anywhere now that Lani was in their dorm. Tristan had stayed behind too wanting to be close to both of his girls, despite how they were feeling towards him now.

Emily and Richard stayed behind for a few moments before helping Lani retire for the night after a few choice words, more from Emily than from Richard, the husband and wife left. This silence was the result of the aftermath.

"Your Grandma hasn't changed much," Tristan began wanting the silence to end. He looked at Rory sitting next to him with her arms crossed over her chest and her legs crossed as well, "Still overbearing but with the best of intentions."

Rory let out a laugh and shook her hair out of her face. She pivoted herself on the sofa to face him, then folded her legs under her instead of letting them dangling to the floor below. "You're the only one of my past and present boyfriends to boot that she ever really approved of, even after the whole Summer Russell scandal erupted. She's just putting on the distain mask for Lani and my benefit."

Tristan scratched the back of his head and gave a chuckle. "Funny my Grandparents are the same way about you." He schooled his features so he could be serious for a moment. "Rory my family sent me away for your own good. I realize now that I wasn't fair to you back in high school. I tried to explain away a moment of weakness and I'm sorry. There really wasn't any excuse for what I did with Summer or Duncan and Bowman and all the other girls back then."

Rory sat quietly wondering where his train of thought was leading. She didn't want to remember his unfaithfulness or his misbehavior but knew he had to have this moment for her to learn more about him again. "I fought so hard to get out of the Military Academy and come be with you. I hoped we could start over. I applied to Harvard for the soul purpose to be with you. I honestly tried to find you as fast as I could. Paris and I had been doing correspondence vial email since the first month I was sent away. She told me about Dean, Marty, and Jess. She's the one who told me you enrolled here at Yale. As much as I was disappointed to find out you changed your mind about Harvard, I understood. You kept Lani and Yale was closer to her and your Mother plus Yale had the best Journalism program out of every other Ivy League School."

Tears started to prick at her eyes as he continued his monologue. "I know I have no right to just barge into your life again and demand you drop your relationship with a man you clearly care a lot about. I shouldn't have been angry to find out you moved on, but here I was seeing you for the first time in years and all of the emotions and memories from the day we met in the sand box of Hartford Central Park to the day you walked in on me making the biggest, stupidest mistake of me life came flooding back to me. It took everything in my willpower not to shove my fist into Logan's face. I know both of you didn't realize how the other played a part in my life until it was too late and I'm sorry I didn't introduce him to you and vice versa when we were younger. The thought never crossed my mind because I always went to New York to visit him and he never came here to Connecticut. I didn't even know he applied to Yale to attend college."

Rory felt as if maybe she could trust Tristan maybe a little more than she did before this conversation, "Tristan You don't have to beat yourself up about not introducing me to Logan. I knew where your mind was back when we were in high school. Well I knew where your mind was most of the time. The rest of the time I had to ask myself what the heck was he thinking. Our relationship was bound to have a bump in the road sooner or later. I just so happens, it had to be, me getting pregnant and you cheating on me. We were too happy at the time and all of our friends were too polite to tell us to cool it down. Besides six years is a long time. You couldn't have thought I wouldn't move on. Tristan You didn't write me even a note to say you were ok, although at the time in my defense I probably would have torn it up, that is beside the point. I had to grow up. I needed to be strong for Lani even if I didn't see her everyday. I had to nurse her take care of her and most of all I had to protect her. That is scary Tristan. To wake up in the middle of the night from a sound asleep to hear your child crying in terror from a dream they were having. I had to console her and forget about my nightmares and my career goals. Sure I applied to Yale because child care was more convenient with family near by but I also had to forego my dreams of being an overseas correspondent to a United States Nationally syndicated newspaper to being just a domestic field journalist. Ok so I dated a few guys, I've made some mistakes and I learn impulsiveness has good and bad outcomes. I didn't expect you to stay single quite honestly I wouldn't have blamed you for moving on. I mean who wants to return to someone who ultimately led you to be shipped to perpetual hell?"

Tristan laughed, "I vowed that once I saw you again, I'd return to you the man you had once loved. The man who made you smile, laugh and infuriate you with the sexual innuendos that drove you nuts. Most importantly I would return to you the man you once trusted so completely that you'd forget my past behavior. The only reason the Academy was perpetual hell was because you weren't there. It was only bearable because I met some guys who were basically in the same boat. They're families' were ashamed of them. They all said they were ashamed of their behavior as well."

There was an awkward silence between them for what seemed like eternity. Tristan looked everywhere in the room. This conversation wasn't going in the direction he wanted it in. He didn't want to sound desperate. He wanted to just start a friendship. He was coming to terms with his cousin and Rory being together. He wasn't giving up his fight but he was doing a cease fire. He wanted to learn about Lani, that, he figured could be their neutral territory. "Tell me about Lani. She seems to take after you."

Rory smiled. Glad for the change of topic, Rory didn't think she could handle anymore of that intense conversation. "Lani started reading at the age of 4. She graduated to chapter books right around her birthday this year. She insists on going to the library every other day. Her math skills are excellent she's already multiplying and dividing. They don't get introduced to that until second grade. She developed my taste for coffee, movies, music and junk food. Her best friends are my brother and sister. She's into sports…"

Whatever else Rory said about Lani captivated him. The two talked well into the night, one retelling their daughter's biography and one playing catch up. They drank coffee and ate most of the junk food in the kitchenette's cabinets.

They both ended up falling asleep on the couch surrounded by piles of junk food wrappers on the floor and coffee tables.


End file.
